Itachi and Sakura: Two Souls of One Heart 3!
by iloveneji44
Summary: Sakura has a secret, one that every shinobi wants to get their hands on. Feeling that she has caused enough trouble, Sakura runs away to protect those she loves. The only problem is that once the secret is out, Sakura will have to fight this battle alone.
1. Chapter 1

*Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto, nor any characters in it, but if you work for the people who make the Naruto series and like whatever the hell it is I'm doing, please give me a job as the one I'm at sucks terribly and my boss is a slave driver who makes me work the day after Christmas, on federal holidays, and overtime without any pay.... Thank you....

* * *

It was a cool late spring's night with not a cloud in the sky. The sounds of Konoha's villagers echoed through the valley and the lights of the village shined into the dark sky with a heavenly glow. The clinking of dishes being washed at a nearby restaurant were mixed with the sounds of people tending to their evening meals, but up on the village rooftops, the sounds were but a distant hum mixed with the wind's song.

Naruto lay on the roof of his apartment staring out into the starry sky. Catching sight of a shooting star, Naruto shut his eyes to make a wish. At first, Naruto thought of wishing that Sakura would come back to him, but before he could, he was reminded of what a selfish wish that would be. As Naruto laid there, thoughts of Sakura came into view and Naruto's mind drifted elsewhere.

It had now been about over a month since she had left Konoha without an explanation as to why she left. No one had seen her, no one knew where she had gone, and not a day went by when Naruto wasn't sick to his stomach thinking about it. Grumbling, he turned onto his side.

Naruto's face suddenly turned to sadness as he remembered the day that Sakura was discovered missing. He was furious when Tsunade had refused to send out a search party. Feeling that Sakura had left on her own accord, Tsunade chose not to follow out of respect for her privacy, but even though Naruto could understand Tsunade's decision, it didn't stop him from throwing his biggest tantrum yet and having to be tackled down by the rest of the team.

The next couple of days were followed by failed attempts to leave the village and chase after her. At one point, Naruto had managed to recruit Kiba and Akamaru to help him in his search. They didn't get far though. They didn't even get out of the village gates. Kakashi and Jiraiya had been waiting for a move like this, and their escape was thrashed sooner than the time it took to dream it up. As Naruto could still feel the pain of being struck down, his thoughts traveled to the converstaion he had while Kakashi pinned him to the ground.

_"...Naruto! You have to obey Tsunade-sama's orders!"_

_"Datte! Datte!! We cannot leave her! What if something happens and we're not there for her! I can't let her turn into Sasuke!"_

_"Naruto, even if you found Sakura, do you think she would come back? After all this time, you know that she isn't the type of person that likes to be alone. Whatever made her decision, she was resolute."_

Naruto's eyes were now watery. He remembered how he suddenly stopped and realized the truth in Kakashi's words: Would Sakura come back? Even if he asked her to? It was painful for him to be in Konoha without her, but did he really even have the right to ask her such a thing? Everyone has their own path and their own decisions to make. Was this one hers?

Up until that point, Naruto had only thought about his own need for her, and it was for that reason that he had decided to make a wish that wasn't selfish, a wish that only unconditional love could make.

_...I wish that Sakura-chan would always find happiness..._ he thought.

Sighing big, Naruto shifted where he lay so that the ridges of the rooftop would stop hurting his hipbone.

_...I hope she's alright..._

Rolling over onto his other side, Naruto grumbled some more. As the days had rolled by and missions come and gone, Naruto felt like time was standing still, like he was swimming hard upstream but was going nowhere. Ever since that day Sakura left, he had bothered Tsunade every chance he had to get her to let him search for Sakura, atleast to find out why she left. Sasuke was one thing, but Sakura was different. She was the glue that held their team together, and though many didn't realize it, she was by far the strongest all-around fighter. Her wits, medical abilities, and sheer strength were all incredible, but it was her kindness and compassion that kept the team from falling apart. She gave them a reason to continue, whether it be for the sake of protecting her or reminding them every now and then that they were a unit.

"Naruto..." said a voice from behind.

Startled, Naruto jumped up to see that Sai was squatting behind him.

"WAH! SAI! Don't sneak up on me like that..." said Naruto, shouting to a mumble.

"You were thinking about her again, weren't you..."

"Mmmm, Sakura-chan has been gone so long! Not even Jiraiya's spies could locate her... not even Akatsuki..."

"We could try to look for her," said Sai. "...though Tsunade-sama would be angry if we did..."

"Mmmmm," grumbled Naruto with a furrowed brow. "I would, but looking for Sakura would be like looking for the last piece of char shiu in ramen! You just can't find it unless you swallow the whole bowl!! She could be anywhere..."

Irritated, Naruto scratched his head.

"Did she have any outside relatives?" asked Sai.

"Mmmm, no, not according to her mother... Not even a relation to another village..."

"You know, Naruto, there was something I was thinking about..." said Sai in thoughtfulness.

"Hmmm?"

"Why don't you just ask Kakashi where she is?"

"Heh? Why would Kakashi-sensei know where she went?" said Naruto, tilting his head in confusion.

"You really are dumb, aren't you?"

Naruto frowned. He never liked Sai's bluntness.

"Sai, you really should have been taught by ANBU how to interact with people. I don't know how you blend in on missions... What do you mean anyway? Why would Kakashi-sensei know where Sakura is?"

"Naruto, it is a shinobi's business to always know information on everything that can cause potential problems. Besides, do you really think that Kakashi-sensei would just let his student walk away without knowing what happened to them? His character is not the type. He should know which way she went at the very least."

Naruto was silent. It had never dawned on him before. Kakashi-sensei would never have let any one of them go without knowing where they had gone. He would always be their sensei, and the question of where Sakura had gone would have bothered him more than it did Naruto.

"Why didn't I see it before?" Naruto asked himself.

"...Because you're too..."

"Shut up, Sai..."

* * *

Early the next morning, Sai appeared at Naruto's door.

_Knock, Knock._

_BOOM!!_

Suddenly the doors burst open and Naruto came out with a look of intent on his face.

"Yosh!! I'm ready," said Naruto.

Sai had jumped back and had his hand on the hilt of his blade. Standing at ease, he put on a smile.

"Ohiyo, Naruto-kun."

"Haa!! Ohiyo, Sai. Are you ready?"

"Mmm."

As the two headed over to Kakashi's apartment, Naruto was running through attack possibilities over and over.

"Naruto, why don't you just ask Kakashi if he found anything?" said Sai.

"No! If Kakashi-sensei failed to tell me he tried looking for Sakura-chan, he deserves nothing less than hostile treatment!!"

"Do I?" said a voice.

Naruto froze. Chills went up his spine. Turning around slowly, he saw that they were already being followed by Kakashi.

Naruto gulped hard. "Uuuuh... Ohiyo, Kakashi-sensei!"

"O-hi-yo, Naruto-kun, Sai... What are you two looking for so early this morning?"

Suddenly Naruto jumped and turned to Kakashi with a stomp and swung his arm up to point at him.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WENT LOOKING FOR SAKURA-CHAN!?"

"Oh? Did I?" said Kakashi, putting a finger to his mouth in thought.

"USO!! DON'T LIE TO ME!!"

Kakashi sighed. "I guess there's no dodging it. Why did you help him figure it out, Sai?"

"Gomen, Kakashi," said Sai with a bow.

"Who said I didn't figure it out on my own!?" shouted Naruto.

Kakashi and Sai were silent.

"_Temae!!"_

"Hai, hai, okay Naruto, you win. Yes, I went looking for Sakura's trail..."

"Huh!!" gasped Naruto in excitement.

"...but it disappeared after it rained..."

"NANI!?"

"Sorry, Naruto, but we didn't find anything significant," said Kakashi with a sigh.

"Could I talk to Pakkun?" asked Naruto.

Kakashi could see that Naruto was hanging on to his last glimmer of hope. Denying him anything at that point would just break his heart.

_Perhaps he just needs to hear it for himself,_ thought Kakashi._ It might be best to give him something to settle his troubled mind. _

Kakashi's eyes softened and then he nodded. Bringing his hand to his vest, he pricked his finger on a sharp blade that stuck out from a pocket on his vest before putting together hand signals to summon Pakkun. When the tiny puff of smoke had cleared, Pakkun sat there staring at the three of them, wondering why he was summoned in the middle of Konoha's streets.

"Pakkun," said Naruto crouching down to him. "Can you tell me about the night you went searching for Sakura-chan."

Pakkun saw the sadness on Naruto's face and thought it best not to dazzle him with questions.

"Well..." began Pakkun. "...we followed her scent out the eastern gate and up the path for quite a bit. After a while she cut into the woods before striking a stream. We split up to see which way she took but it was long enough to stall us until the rain came. By the time we had reached where we think she got out, the rains had erased her scent."

"Where was that?" asked Sai.

"North," replied Pakkun. "The stream went north-east, but she got out on the northern side. We atleast managed to pick it up there. After that, we couldn't find anything... I'm sorry Naru..."

"...so there was nothing else?" interrupted Naruto. "Nothing at all?"

"Mmmmm... No, nothing really. All we picked up here at the start was Sakura, the two guards, some villagers, Neji..."

"Neji?" asked Kakashi.

"Mmm, Neji."

"You didn't tell me that before."

"I didn't? Hmph, I must have thought it wasn't important..."

Kakashi was silent. His eyes had glazed over in reserved thought.

"...Was his scent strong or old?" asked Kakashi.

"I don't remember."

"...Either way, I sent you out as soon as I heard Sakura was missing, and that was around eight in the morning... What was Neji doing up so early after such a long mission? And so far from his part of town?... He had to have been there that night... What's even more suspicious is that we all saw him walk back towards his home... Something tells me that Neji has been holding out on something..."

"Neji..." said Naruto, balling his hand into a fist. "That guy better not be hiding something, or I'm gonna.."

"Now, now, Naruto. Let's not assume anything before we blow up," said Kakashi, eyeing out whether he'd have to tackle Naruto again. "Let's just see what he has to say. It might just be a mistake. Besides, what would Neji know that we don't?"

* * *

The day seemed to rush by quickly as Kakashi, Naruto, and Sai suddenly found themselves with a mystery on their hands. They searched everywhere for Neji, but he was nowhere to be found.

"He wasn't at home, he wasn't at the training grounds, and he was nowhere near the school!" shouted Naruto as the sun was setting. "Where the hell could he be!?"

"Well," mumbled Kakashi. "Hinata confirmed that he didn't have a mission, so he has to be somewhere here. Come to think of it, I didn't see TenTen, Lee, or Gai-sensei either. Did you?"

Sai and Naruto shook their heads.

"Oh!" said Naruto suddenly. "We didn't check Fuzzy-Brows' dojo!"

The two looked a bit confused, but shortly after they followed Naruto, they could hear Gai and Lee's voice sounding off in the distance. When they arrived, Gai and Lee were in a heated battle of youth with TenTen keeping score.

"Where's Neji?" Kakashi asked TenTen.

"He just left. He should be walking that way," said TenTen, pointing to the opposite direction from where they came from. "If you hurry, you can catch him."

Kakashi didn't say a word to Sai and Naruto, just gestured to them. The two looked at eachother and immediately disappeared.

"Is something wrong?" asked TenTen.

"Ano, has Neji ever acted strange since our return from the mission involving Sakura?" asked Kakashi.

"No, he hasn't. He hasn't said anything atleast. Everything else he's done is not out of the ordinary."

"Arigatou, TenTen. I'll be off now..."

With that, Kakashi left the building but immediately took off. He was soon followed by Gai, Lee, and TenTen as there were screams heard from Naruto.

Kakashi and the others ran through the woods until they came upon Sai. Stopping next to him, Kakashi saw that Neji was standing over Naruto who was lying in pain on the ground.

"What happened!?" cried Gai-sensei.

"He attacked me," said Neji.

"Nani!?"

"It's true," said Sai. "We were running after Neji when Naruto ran ahead and tried to capture him."

"What's the meaning of this?" asked Neji to Kakashi. "Has he forgotten friend from foe?"

Kakashi scratched his head.

"Gomen, Neji. We just had a few questions," explained Kakashi. "Could we please have a moment alone?"

At that point, Gai, Lee, and TenTen reluctantly slid away.

Leaning against a tree, Neji crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

"What is it that you need to ask?" said Neji.

"Well, first of all, you should open your eyes Neji so that I can see them," said Kakashi.

Neji opened his eyes and found that Kakashi had pulled back his forehead protector, revealing the Sharingan.

"An interrogation? What warrants such an act as this?"

"Where did you go on the night Sakura left?" asked Kakashi.

"Home. I thought everyone did."

Kakashi stared at him for a moment. Then he continued.

"What were you doing the next morning after we returned from our mission?"

"Don't remember. Is there a reason for all of this?" asked Neji, irritated.

"Hmmm... perhaps we made a mistake?" said Kakashi, looking up at the sky. "That's ok then, you can go."

Neji shook his head as if to say, "you're all crazy."

However, just as he was walking away, Kakashi signaled to Naruto and Sai. At that moment, Sai's snakes wrapped themselves around Neji before jumping on him to pin him down.

"Kakashi! What's going on!?" yelled Neji.

"You're lying..." said Kakashi, snapping his fingers and holding his hand out to Naruto. "We'll get it from you, even if we have to do this... Gomen, Neji."

A flash of delight came from Naruto's eyes as he pulled from his coat something sleek and green.

"No! NO!! What are you doing!?" yelled Neji, trying his best to get free.

"Mmmhmhmhmhmmm..." giggled Kakashi. Stretching out the material, he revealed the suit that Gai had given to Naruto. "I'm afraid we're going to have to resort to dirtier tactics, if this is the case."

"NO!" yelled Neji. "YOU CAN'T!!"

"Oh, yes we can!" shouted Naruto. "You'd better spill or I'm going to walk you through town and dump you in the middle of the Gennins!!"

Neji went silent for a moment and looked away.

"Fine," said Neji. "Do it."

"Aaaaah... so you ARE hiding something," said Kakashi. "Come on Neji, let's hear it."

Kakashi picked up a stick and went to sit on Neji. He began to poke Neji's cheek with it like a slow torture until his cheek became red and eventually a teensy bit raw. After that, Kakashi could see that there was no reasoning with him.

"Neji, please. We need to know what happened to our comrade. We have been worrying about it ever since," said Kakashi, his eyes lamentful.

Neji looked over to Naruto. Naruto had been looking away the whole time that Kakashi began poking him. His expression was sorrowful and his posture told Neji that he was feeling hopeless. If Neji wouldn't tell them where she was, Naruto felt that all would be truly lost.

Pulling his own hand up, Naruto stared into his palm and wondered whether this was his fate. Squeezing his hand into a fist, Naruto shut his eyes, dropped his hand, and turned to walk away.

"Let's go, Kakashi-sensei," said Naruto.

Kakashi looked over his shoulder. "Huh? You're giving up, Naruto?"

"Let him be. He's obviously protecting her. We should let him go."

Kakashi looked down at Neji, who looked back at him with eyes of defiance.

"What is so important that you're willing to risk being interrogated?" asked Kakashi. "Why don't you just tell us?"

"Because she told him not to!" came a voice that was strong and true.

Looking up, Kakashi saw that Tsunade was now standing behind Sai.

"Let him go," she commanded.

Tsunade had heard that they were searching for Neji, and feared that it would turn ugly if she wasn't there to back him up.

"Tsunade-sama, what is it that you're not telling me about my precious student?" asked Kakashi, getting off of Neji.

As they watched the snakes binding Neji release and disolve, Naruto turned around to face Tsunade.

"Why didn't you just tell us?" asked Naruto. "Why did you let us suffer?"

"It was for Sakura's protection, Naruto. I'm sure even you can understand that," said Tsunade. "Don't blame it all on Neji. I chose not to send out a search party because like I said before, Sakura would not have left without a good reason. I taught her to be mature. Whatever decision she made, she made it maturely. Neji didn't say anything to me until after your team's report, so the decision to not follow was the right one."

"Are you going to tell us then, Tsunade-sama?" asked Kakashi.

Tsunade sighed. "Well, I can see that it's been bothering you a whole lot more than I thought it would. Naruto, I could handle, but not you, Kakashi... What I'm about to say is strictly confidential and can never be uttered from here on out. That goes for you too, Gai, Lee, TenTen..."

Suddenly out of a nearby tree fell the three who had been listening the whole time.

"Hehe, sorry Tsunade-sama..." said Gai, scratching his head.

"Listen up, what I am about to reveal must be kept secret. I don't know what would happen if it got out..." continued Tsunade.

Everyone was silent, Neji looked at Tsunade with uncertainty, but it didn't matter, because she was about to spill the beans.

"Sakura... wants to become a nun..."

_"NANI!?"_ yelled everyone in unison. Neji's jaw dropped, but he hid his surprise quickly before anyone noticed.

"Yes... she wants to become a nun. After what Itachi did to her, it's no surprise to me, nor to any woman for that matter. I guess she felt that going into solitude would keep Orochimaru guessing... and protect us all from having to protect her. Her decision was made not in haste, but out of love of her comrades. So you see... Sakura wants to become a nun... That is all," finished Tsunade, turning to walk away.

"USO!!" yelled TenTen. "There's just no way!! Why would Sakura tell no one but Neji why... Wait a minute..."

Tsunade stopped in her tracks, a bead of sweat passed down her face.

"Nah, it can't be..." continued TenTen.

Suddenly TenTen's face went into shock and her jaw dropped.

_"OH MY GOD, SHE'S PREGNANT!!"_

_"AAAAACCCCKKKKKK!!" _yelled everyone.

Kakashi looked like he was going to faint, Naruto was about to keel over and die, Gai and Lee had their jaws on the floor, but Sai was still Sai, just with eyebrows lifted.

_Shit!_ thought Tsunade.

Neji slapped his hand on his forehead. "TenTen..."

TenTen slapped her hands over her mouth. "Gomen!" she yelled through her hands, her eyes open wide.

"Oh my god..." said Naruto. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god..."

"Hontou ni?" asked Kakashi, dropping to his knees. "Is it true that she's pregnant?... Uuuuuuggh, it's all beginning to make sense... Neji must have seen it with the Byakuugan."

There was no denying it after that. Turning around, Tsunade nodded to them.

Lee suddenly passed out and knocked his head on the way down.

"OI! LEE!!" screamed Tsunade.

"Does Itachi know?" asked Naruto.

"No, I don't think so... Jiraiya had been monitoring Akatsuki but didn't tell Itachi about Sakura having left, nor did he tell him about the fact that she is pregnant. Apparently the rest of Akatsuki's patience is wearing thin on the subject of Sakura, so Jiraiya thought it best to not tempt him... No one is to say a thing regarding this matter, understand?"

Everyone nodded. They understood the complications with being one of the last Uchihas.

"Wow..." said Naruto. "To think that another Uchiha would be born!... Hey, I'm going to be an uncle!!... If only Sasuke knew..."

"Oi, LEE!!" shouted TenTen.

TenTen was violently shaking Lee and managed to get him up. As everyone stood there hovering over a dizzy Lee, a sudden crack of thunder struck in the distance. Looking out towards the mountains, everyone was thinking the same thing:_ I hope Sakura is ok. _


	2. Chapter 2

Night was approaching and the moisture in the air was strong with the smell of moss and bark. Deep within the southern woods of Fire Country, the smell of a warm fire was emanating from a small cave that sat hidden by bushes. As the wind blew by it whipped the branches of the bushes, and sounds of tiny sneezes could be heard from within the cave's shelter every time it did.

Alone in the cave sat Sakura. Next to her was a bed made of branches and leaves, covered by a thick blanket. In the dampness of the cave she sat by the fire with her knees tucked into her chest with her eyes gazing into the flames. She knew that it had been over a month since she had left Konoha, but she was gone so long that she had already lost track of exactly how many days had gone by.

Shortly after leaving Konoha, Sakura had gone north but then cut south to confuse anyone who would look for her after the rain had passed. She thought it best to atleast stay within the borders of Fire Country, just in case something should happen and she needed to see Neji to get medical attention. So far she had dealt with wounds, poisons, and medical ailments, but she had practically no experience in the needs of a pregnant woman.

Being alone, memories of Itachi flooded her thoughts every moment of every day, and more and more, Sakura's heart was slowly breaking at the thought of having been left behind yet again. Squeezing her legs closer to herself, Sakura turned her head to let it rest upon her knees. Tears began to slip down her arm as she silently wept in loneliness. She didn't know if Naruto was still looking for her, nor did she know if Itachi was too.

_Unlikely..._ thought Sakura.

Realistically, things didn't happen like in the movies, and Sakura knew in her heart that Itachi would not come for her this time. It just wasn't written in the stars, she felt. Itachi had obligations to Akatsuki, and she was left with only pieces of their love that once flourished. In the silence of the woods, Sakura had never felt more lonely in all her life.

Silent tears soon turned to sobs as Sakura remembered that she was pregnant. She knew that her mother would have been there to take care of her, but that was not what she wanted. The child that she carrying was so much more than just her baby, it was the last of the Uchihas, and in a way, a commodity of the shinobi world. If anyone found out, they just might try to claim it for themselves. What was to stop them from atleast trying? Sakura would not be able to bear it if the one thing she had left of Itachi's love was ripped away from her.

Sakura sheltered her head in her arms. She had had enough of being chased after. She was already the victim of a dillusional Orochimaru, and that in itself was too much to handle. Atleast this way, Sakura was making her own destiny and not having to always anticipate Orochimaru's next move. Being alone for over a month was nothing compared to living in constant fear of attack. As long as Orochimaru did not know where she was, she and everyone else would be safe. Though, there were things that she would miss.

_I wonder if Naruto knows how to handle babies?... _Sakura giggled to herself.

The thought of Naruto and her newborn was so tempting! She could see him completely bewildered as to how to handle a little baby. What words of wisdom would Naruto have to impart on her child, she could only guess, but Sakura knew in her heart that having an uncle like Naruto would have been such a blessing.

_Hmph, my baby would turn out to be a wild child if it hung out with Naruto too much, or it'd grow up using Harem-no-juitsu as it's main attack,_ she chuckled. _Nevertheless, I think it would come out with a heart of gold if it did._

Sighing and wiping away her tears that had become routine, she looked out at the sky and saw that rain clouds were coming her way.

_I'd better collect firewood and some food, _she thought, standing up.

Pushing her way past the bushes, Sakura walked out to where the woods were thickest and where a river went by. When she reached the river's edge, she was surprised to see that the level had risen three times its normal level, and was now rushing past quickly.

_There must have been a big storm up in the mountains... _thought Sakura as she looked towards the mountains in the distance.

Inching her way down the river bank, Sakura pulled out an explosion note, wrapped it around a rock and threw it out into the center of the river, timing it just right so that it detonated just above the surface of the water. As the note exploded, it blew a small crater into the water's surface, scaring some fish out of the water as it swam by. Within a blink of an eye, Sakura threw her kunai and pinned the fish to a tree on the opposite bank. She had become quite good at it.

Suddenly the water surged and a flash flood hit Sakura, knocking her into the river's rush.

The water wasn't as rough as it was the time Sasuke dropped her into some rapids, but nevertheless, it was a struggle. Up ahead Sakura could see that there was a branch set nicely out for her to grab. Treading water, she bided her time before reaching out to take hold of her savior. However, there was something that she wasn't expecting.

When Sakura grabbed the branch, she tried to pull herself up but suddenly felt a sharp pain in her side. She was still suffering from a cracked rib, and couldn't really heal it properly because she couldn't reach it well. The sudden shock of the pain made her let go of the branch, causing her to fall back and hit her head on a sharp rock.

As an unconcious Sakura was swept down the stream, she was lucky enough to have landed in a backfloat position so that she didn't take in water. That luck however was about to run out as she approached an oncoming waterfall. The closer she came to the fall, the faster the current picked up, but just as she was about to get sucked into the falls a young man reached out from the side of the river and snatched the collar of her shirt.

Pulling with all his strength, he did his best to bring her in with one arm as the other clutched a rock. He didn't stop until he had brought her all the way to his waist. As the weight of her body and the river's current pressed against him, he managed to keep a solid stance long enough to let go of the rock and grab her beneath the arms. He waded inch by inch to the edge of the embankment, and managed to bring half her body to rest on dry land. Climbing out, he fell down exhausted from the short battle.

"What... a catch!" gasped the young man, lying sprawled on the ground. "That had to have been my biggest pull ever!"

Lifting his head up to peek over at Sakura, he dropped it back down again and heaved a heavy breath of air. Moaning, the young man rolled onto his side and sat up to take a look at the girl he saved.

"Hmph, pink hair, who-da-thought," he said. "Well, let's see what the catch of the day is..."

Brushing back her hair, he took one look at Sakura and was instantly taken aback by her beauty.

"Whoah... What's a pretty girl like you doing floating down the stream?"

The young man stood up and looked around. He couldn't see anyone or anything nearby indicating that she was with anybody.

"Well, I can't just leave you here. I guess I'll just take you back to the boat," he said. "Alright, up we go..."

Picking Sakura up, he cradled her in his arms and began walking with ease, following his way down the river's edge. After a couple of minutes, he came to the mouth of the river and stood before the ocean. Looking side to side, he spotted a little vessel parked not far from the coast. Nodding over to it, an old man standing on it waved back.

"What's that you've got there!" yelled the old man to him.

"I'm not really sure! I found it floating down the river!"

"Is she cute!?" yelled the old man, chuckling after he asked.

The young man laughed, shrugged to get a better grip, and continued on until he reached the area of beach closest to the vessel.

Laying Sakura down, he held her head gently in his hand before placing it on the sand. As he moved his hand away, he found that there was blood on it.

"Uh-oh," he said, turning her head to the side to see the gash. "Oi! Ojiisan! Can you throw me the medical kit!?"

"Is she hurt!?"

"Yupp!"

The old man scrambled aboard the vessel and found a tiny little kit. Throwing it as far as he could, the young man compensated for the distance and caught it just before it hit the ground.

Opening the kit, he pulled out a bottle of alcohol and a gauze. Soaking the gauze with alcohol he went to put it on the wound.

The sudden sting of the alcohol immediately woke Sakura up. Not knowing what was going on, her instincts were to punch first and ask questions later.

_POW!!_

Sakura socked him right in the eye, sending him flying back onto the sand. Sitting up, she turned to see the medical kit opened beside her.

"Oh my god. Gomen!!" she yelled, immediately going over to look at the damage.

"By the grace of the Jizo statues! What the hell kinda woman are you!?" he yelled with his hand over his left eye.

"Gomen! I didn't know! I thought you were trying to hurt me!"

The young man sat up and crossed his legs.

"Well that teaches me to never rescue anyone floating down the river to their death!!"

"Gomen... I didn't know..."

"Ugh, it's ok... You didn't do it on purpose, so I forgive you," he said, removing his hand to poke at the area around his eye.

"Wow! That was some punch little miss!" yelled the old man from the boat. "I haven't seen moves like that since my wife passed away!"

"Gomenasai! Is this your son!?"

"Grandson! Are you alright!? I heard you were hurt!"

Sakura put her hand to her head and brought it back down to see the blood. Concentrating chakra on her hand, she lifted it back up to heal the wound.

"So, you're a medical-nin, huh?" asked the young man. "My name's Takeru. May I ask the name of my abuser?"

"Uh... Sakura-desu."

"Well Sakura, do you have anyone in the area looking for you, or are you lost?"

"I'm not lost... I just..."

Sakura went silent and looked down. She didn't know what to say.

"Well, whatever's your business is your business. If you want, you can hitch a ride with us."

"Where are you headed?"

"South-west. We're from Wind Country. You?"

"I'm from here, though I'm not quite sure where I'm headed at the moment..."

"Well, you can hop in if you want."

Sakura thought for a second. She was originally going to stay in her own country, but now that she thought about it, perhaps there was more danger staying here than in another country. Should anyone find out, this would be the area that they would first look for her.

"Anyone there in need of medical skills?" Sakura asked.

"We have a small hospital. It's dinky but I think they could use help."

"Ok, I guess I should try my luck there then."

As Takeru turned to walk away, Sakura stopped him.

"Wait! Are there any shinobi in that village?"

"Nope. We're a simple fishing village, though every now and then we make trips to Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand, to sell fish. You can stay with us... for a price..."

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks and gave him a look that said, "lecher."

"No, no, no, no, no! That's not what I meant! I meant that you have to atleast help us out with the cooking because my grandfather and I suck. My mother and father passed away when I was young, so it's just me and him. Sorry to say it, but we really do suck."

Sakura giggled. "Well, I'm not so good either, but I'll try. Thanks."

As Takeru waded through the water, Sakura walked on the water over to the vessel, dusting the sand off of her as she went.

"That's some trick!" said the old man as she came aboard.

After Takeru explained the situation, the old man readily agreed to the prospect of having a nice meal to come home to.

"Welcome aboard! My name is Taro, but you can just call me Ojiisan. I respond to that more quickly."

Sakura felt happier instantly. Having two to take care of suddenly gave her something to do. She was no longer waiting and no longer alone.

"Oh!" said Sakura. "There's just one thing that I think I should mention, being as you would find out soon enough."

The old man and Takeru opened their eyes wide as to what it could be.

"I'm bringing aboard two," said Sakura, rubbing her belly. "If that's ok with you..."

The old man and Takeru smiled. The prospect of having their all male home filled with the presence of a woman and her child would soften the atmosphere, something they had not had in a long time.

"Wonderful!" Ojiisan chanted. "I can teach him how to fish!"

"Do you mind if I go and collect my belongings?" asked Sakura.

"Sure, we still need to pull up our nets anyway. See you soon?" said Takeru.

"Mmm!" nodded Sakura, jumping over the ship's bow to go back to the cave.

When Sakura returned the nets were in and all was well. As the vessel set out to sea with their new members of the crew, Sakura looked back towards Konoha to say her goodbye.

_Perhaps... _she thought. _Perhaps this is good for me..._

* * *

"Uuuh... Sakura-chan..." hiccuped Lee.

Sitting at a table in a restaurant in Konoha was TenTen, Neji, and Lee.

"Lee, just face it. She was never going to be yours!" said TenTen. "So, stop dwelling on it!"

"Neji, how could you..." went on Lee. "How could you not tell me!!"

Neji shook his head. "You know she made me promise."

"But you told Tsunade-sama!" whined Lee, pointing a finger at Neji.

"Yes, but that's different. If it means the welfare of the village, Tsunade-sama has to know. Besides, I didn't decide to tell her until after I found out that she meant not to follow Sakura..."

_Hick! _

"Lee, I can't believe that you're like this after only one drop of sake..." said TenTen, looking at him in bewilderment.

"Well, I have to get going, but I'm glad you found some kind of an outlet to take away your pain," said Neji, standing up. "It's better than you crying uncontrollably. Come'on, let's go."

The three of them stood up and made their way out of the restaurant. After saying their goodbyes, Neji and TenTen left Lee to walk home by himself so that he had time to reflect. That decision, though it seemed harmless, proved to be the making of a disaster as Lee made his way past some ramen stands that skirted the outside of town.

As Lee swerved close to one, he bumped into the post of one of the stands, catching the attention of the shinobi sitting there eating. Falling onto his knees, Lee began to lament.

"Sakura-chan... my beloved, why? How could you have never given me the chance but fallen in love with the enemy, and become pregnant! An Uchiha, no less!! Uhhuhuhuhuh..." muttered Lee, beginning to cry. "And now you've left the village to be on your own... how lonely you must be... come back, Sakura-chan. I'll take care of you...please..."

Getting back up, Lee stumbled off down the road, holding his hands over his heart and crying as he went. Any onlookers would have cried along with him, seeing how pitiful he was as he did so.

As Lee stumbled out of view from the ramen stands, three shinobi who had paused in their eating began to eat again.

"So!" said the man behind the counter. "Why are you shinobi here in Konoha?"

"We're here as a delegation to the Hokage, to discuss the relations of the different shinobi villages. Happens every year..." said the first shinobi.

"Oh, so then where are you all from?" the man asked, unable to spot the symbols of their villages.

"I'm a shinobi from Kirigakure," said the first shinobi.

The second shinobi looked up at the man and smiled. "I'm from Amegakure."

The third shinobi didn't look up. In a deep voice he just said, "Kumogakure."

"Wow, Mist, Rain, and Cloud...you've all come pretty far!" said the man, suddenly stammering in his words. Though he tried, he could not hide the fact that he was a little bit threatened by some of Konoha's worst enemies. Immediately finding something to tend to, the man skirted away from further conversation.

As the three shinobi walked away from the stand, a fourth shinobi sitting at the end of the counter finished her drink and thanked the man for her meal. Getting up, Temari grabbed her fan that was leaning against the wall, strapped it to her back, and walked down the path to the front gate.

_So_... thought Temari as she prepared for her journey back to the Sand Village_. Sakura is pregnant with an Uchiha... which Uchiha, I wonder... _


	3. Chapter 3

Sakura looked out to sea and was at peace. The waves seemed to rock the boat like a lullaby, and the stars made the ocean glitter with tiny lights. Never was there a night out at sea that was so placid and calm as this. As the occasional spray of the ocean filled the air with specks of moisture it made the railing of the boat crusted with salt. Rubbing some off with her finger, Sakura brought it to her lips to taste.

"My wife used to crave Tsukemono when she was pregnant with my daughter," said Ojiisan, walking up from behind Sakura. "There's something about pregnant women and pickled things..."

Sakura laughed. "Well, it's all new to me."

"So, do you mind telling me what it is that you're running away from?"

Though Takeru was steering the boat, he was doing his best to listen to the conversation as he too was curious of her background.

"Well, let's see... Where should I begin?" said Sakura as she looked up at the sky.

A sad look crossed her face, and she cracked a smile that immediately turned back into a frown.

"I was... a shinobi of Konoha. I had everything going for me... until one day when one of my teammates left. He, uh, he wanted to kill his brother who was responsible for the massacre of his clan..."

As Sakura retold the tale of how she came to be in her situation, the old man was silent and did nothing but listen. Simple nods told her that he understood, and by the time Sakura had come to the end of her story, Takeru was sitting on the railing next to his grandfather.

"So you see, I left Konoha because I wanted to protect my comrades from further danger, and I wanted to protect my child from those who would seek to use his...or her... ability of the Sharingan. Leaving my mother and friends back there may seem unfair to them, but I know that if they were in my position that they'd do the same. Things look very different when you have the life of others in your hands..."

The old man sighed. He felt that this was the time that he should speak.

"You know, being an old fart doesn't mean that you're incapable, it just means that you've racked up so many experience points that the game seems old. I can't tell you how tired you can become of shouldering responsibility, but let me impart some wisdom to you... Whatever the decision, there is nothing but a reaction. What you do not only decides your fate, but the fate of others around you. It takes a lot of strength to go it alone, and you've overcome the hardest part: simply deciding to. Your choice to leave your family and friends behind is a selfless choice, but at the same time, it is also a selfish one. This Itachi fellow left you because he wanted to protect you, but at the same time he chose the easy way out. You did too. Strength is not always in being able to go it alone, but to stick it out and fight to survive, to fight for your right to live in peace, and to carry those around you that you feel is a burden to you. Your mother is feeling the way you are feeling right now... left behind. What makes a family is not always doing whatever it takes to keep eachother safe, it's mostly about bearing eachother's weight."

Sakura suddenly saw that what Ojiisan said was true. Leaving Konoha wasn't necessarily a brave thing that she did. It would have been more brave of her to have stayed and faced the music. What she did could be seen as leaving to protect those around her, but it could also be seen as running away from her problems. Sakura looked down and touched her belly.

_Is this what I will teach my child? To run in the face of hardship rather than stand their ground and fight for their right to live?_ she thought.

The old man put a hand on Sakura's shoulder and looked her in the eye.

"What I've also learned as an old fart is that timing is everything. Your decision to leave may have been the right choice, but it may not always stay that way. Things change! Perhaps one day you can find the time to return to Konoha to see your family and friends. I'm sure they must miss you terribly."

Sakura knew in her heart that the old man was right. Things may not always be like this. She may see the day when all of this is over and she can return to Konoha again.

"Arigatou, Ojiisan," said Sakura with a smile.

The old man gave a reassuring smile and walked to the helm. Takeru now remained alone with Sakura.

"Does Itachi know?" asked Takeru. "About the baby?"

"No..." said Sakura. "I don't think he does..."

"Do you think he'd come back if he knew?"

"I don't know. I think he might just feel more obligated to stay away for our protection. It's very difficult to protect someone when you yourself are being attacked."

"I think he'd come back..." said Takeru. "I think he would've come back even if you weren't pregnant."

Sakura smiled. "I think so too..."

* * *

About two days had gone by since Sakura set sail with the old man and his grandson. So far she had taken in much knowledge of fishing, but even more knowledge on how to navigate a ship. There was nothing but warm laughter with her new friends and so far everything seemed to be looking much brighter for her future, but although things seemed great, there was always something sitting at the back of Sakura's mind.

Tugging at Sakura's heart was the constant reminder of those she left behind. Every now and then a flash of Naruto's face would pass her thoughts, and Sakura would feel guilty of the heartache he must be going through. She knew that he still needed her friendship in many ways, but she also knew that he could take care of himself.

As the sun began to rise over the horizon, Takeru woke Sakura from her sleep to show her the village coming into view with the morning sunlight. To Sakura, it was one of the most beautiful sights that she had ever seen. It was so quaint and peaceful, but already she could see that the villagers were up and preparing for their day's work. A group of kids were running along the beach and were giggling with joy. Sakura could see that bringing her child up here would be a happy environment, but she was sad that Itachi would not see it.

Looking down, Sakura touched her belly. She wondered what she would say to the child when it grew up and asked her about its father. Would she say he was a dangerous man? Would she say that his skills surpassed so many others, and was a child prodigy as a shinobi?

_No..._ she thought._ I will tell it that their father was a kind and loving man. Someone who loved me so very much, but left to protect me from danger._

As the boat came close to shore, Sakura helped Ojiisan and Takeru unload the equipment.

"Should I tell them I'm a shinobi?" Sakura asked Ojiisan and Takeru.

"Hmmm... considering the details of your situation, maybe you shouldn't? Then again, it may be hard considering your medical skills," said Ojiisan.

"You're right. Well, for now atleast I'll keep it secret."

The home that Sakura was brought to was very cute, she thought. She could see that there was once women living in the household, because the way everything was organized told her that Ojiisan was taught to keep it this way. It was a small house, but it was very well kept and looked like it was the house with the most history in the area. The shoji doors were made of strong but old looking wood, and the roof was well tiled, but thatched here and there. Immediately upon stepping onto the platform that ran around the house, Sakura could feel no bad energy from this place.

After returning all of the fishing nets and floaters to their rightful place, the fish were sent for storage while some of it was taken out to be dried. Takeru then took Sakura to the nearby hospital, which she thought looked more like a clinic, and was immediately hired by the head doctor.

When asked where she had learned her medical skills, the man blurted out a loud, "YES!! ABSOLUTELY!!" upon hearing that she was taught by the great Tsunade.

Takeru made it an important point to emphasize the severity of Sakura's situation, and that Tsunade was not to be told of her whereabouts. After explaining only what the doctor needed to know, he agreed, and was unwilling to divulge the secret for fear of losing his newest talent of the medical team.

"Are you good with removing fish hooks?" he asked as he beamed across the desk from Sakura. "We get a lot of those. Takeru by far has had the worst! I've been seeing this guy since he was three!! The first lure he ever got hooked with was a three inch barbed hook going through the achilles!!"

Takeru blushed at remembering such an embarrassment in front of the other kids.

"He didn't cry though, but I've never seen a three-year-old hold their breath so long in all my life!" shouted the doctor.

Sakura laughed at the thought. "I don't know about fish hooks, but I've removed plenty of kunai and shuriken accidently lodged into little kids during practice. They take it a lot better than most adults do, so fish hooks and kids should be no problem."

"Excellent! I'll see you tomorrow then!"

* * *

As the days passed and Sakura got used to the clinic, so did the villagers. Every morning she was greeted by the neighborhood girls who trailed after her to work. When she got there they would follow her in and learn some medical skills. The mothers in the village were incredibly greatful for her presence. Not only did it teach the girls about another profession, but it gave the mothers a chance to complete their house chores and help with the fishing without worrying about their kids getting sucked out to sea.

The boys in the neighborhood were quite taken by Sakura, and soon they were appearing at the clinic's door with fish hooks lodged in their hands, not deep enough to really hurt, but just enough to where it seemed stuck. When the real ones came in however, the little girls would line up with trays of cotton swabs and pliers, puffing their chests and making stern faces to show that they were not afraid of a little blood. They did their best not to giggle when the men made faces in pain.

Everyday the head doctor would pass by to see how things were going, and everyday he would ask Sakura to teach some new techniques to his staff. The training she had was much more intense than the kind they had received, so having someone so experienced and knowledgable was refreshing to the staff. It seemed that everyday when the doctors left, they would be discussing the new topic at hand and end up practicing it the next day. It was a good change-up from the regular routine they had become accustomed to everyday.

Things back at Ojiisan's were very pleasant. Everyday after a long haul out at sea, Ojiisan and Takeru would stumble up the road looking exhausted, but the anticipation of what was being cooked made it all better. Though Sakura wasn't the best cook, it was a good change from constantly eating fish because they just didn't have the time to go shopping for meats. On her breaks Sakura would go to the market and buy these things, and bring them home at the days end to begin cooking for the two. That night she would pack them bentos to take onboard the ship, and would make onigiri for their breakfast. She always made them hot tea to take as well, ensuring that they had the caffeine and nutrients for their calorie-consuming job.

The house didn't need much tending as Ojiisan and Takeru were quite clean, but with Sakura there, the two of them had much more free time to do what they wanted to on their days off. When these days came around, Ojiisan would do what old folks do best, and drag the futon onto the patio with a pillow for a midday nap. More often than not, he'd be lying spread out on his back with the latest edition of the _Fisherman's Best _catalogue covering his face as the sound of snores amplified from its inner pages. With Ojiisan knocked out, Takeru would go with Sakura to the market to buy groceries and help her carry them all home. The task of shopping was pretty uneventful, but one day the routine introduced a new acquaintance.

Suddenly Takeru froze. Turning around, Sakura tilted sideways to see what was wrong.

"Takeru, why are you blushing?" asked Sakura, who was trying to get him to make eye-contact with her, but couldn't. "Where are you looking?"

Walking to his side, Sakura did her best to match her line of vision with his, before spotting a cute girl all the way on the other side of the market.

"Oh! Who's that?" asked Sakura, beaming with interest. "Come on Takeru! You can tell me!... eh, you need to breathe you know or you're going to pass out if you keep doing that..."

Takeru was holding his breath the way the head doctor had first described it to her. Sakura had never seen someone hold their breath for so long and for so little a reason.

"Takeru, she's all the way on the other side of the market and can't see you. You don't need to be doing that right now... hey, you're going to pass out!" scolded Sakura, whacking him hard on the back so that he began to breathe again. "Geez, and I thought I was pitiful!"

"Gomen!" coughed Takeru.

"Why don't you go talk to her?"

Takeru began to hold his breath again at the mere suggestion of such an act.

_WHACK!!_

"Gomen..." stammered Takeru, beginning to look faint.

Sakura sighed. "So, who is she?"

"She's my old friend, Yumi...We were neighbors when I was living with my parents... We were best friends when we were little and were pretty much never seen apart. Our mothers always said we'd get married one day. I don't know when or how, but we eventually grew apart and stopped talking. We say hi... well, atleast she does..."

Sakura giggled. "So does she know you like her?"

"NO! Never... I just don't know how to act around her anymore..."

"Well, maybe I should get to know her so that I can sell her your good points!"

"Would you!?" asked Takeru, his eyes getting big. "I don't have the guts! ONEGAISHIMASU!!"

"Takeru stop bowing! People are looking!!"

"Gomen... Oh, Sakura, Ojiisan and I are travelling to Suna with the other fisherman to sell to the local markets. We've asked the head doctor if you can come because we normally have a doctor on hand in case anything happens. You are the most experienced (and can provide a little protection) of them all. Is that okay with you?"

Sakura looked a little unsure. She didn't know many people in Suna other than the Kazekage, Kankurou, Temari, Baki, and Chiyo-baa's brother, though he may not even remember her. The likelihood of seeing someone who would recognize her was pretty slim, so in the end she agreed to tag along.

"Alright, I'll go... but only if you introduce me to her!!" grinned Sakura.

"I'd rather die..." grimaced Takeru.

"Fine, then I'll just introduce myself to her myself!"

* * *

Sakura waited for the opportunity to come along that would give her a chance to speak with Yumi. Seeing on the medical charts that she was coming in for an appointment, Sakura made sure that it'd be she who examined her.

"Ohiyo! I'm Sakura, I'll be your doctor for today," said Sakura cheerfully.

"Oh...Ohiyo," said Yumi uneasily.

"Now let's see here, just a physical hmm? Well, I can already tell by just looking at you that you're a healthy girl... How old are you? Fifteen?"

"Sixteen..." Yumi responded quietly.

"Is everything ok? You seem a little apprehensive? You don't like examinations, do you?"

Yumi shook her head.

"Don't worry," said Sakura. "The kids don't pick me for nothing... So let's see then..."

"You live with Takeru-kun, right?" asked Yumi.

"Hai, I sure do! He's pretty clean for a guy, but it's probably because of his grandfather. He also has a very sweet and gentle personality, but he's tough, no doubt."

"So you like him, huh?" said Yumi a little sadly.

"No way! I've already met the love of my life! AND, I'm going to have a baby!" said Sakura, rubbing her belly.

"Wow, I can't even tell!" said Yumi, looking at Sakura's belly.

"So, how about it? You think you'd go out with Takeru?"

Yumi blushed so red that she resembled a rose in the snow.

"No way!" shouted Yumi. "... he doesn't like me..."

"Oh really? Why do you say that?" asked Sakura.

"Because... he never talks to me and he never comes near me..."

"That's because he might die from having no oxygen..." joked Sakura as she put a stethoscope to Yumi's back. "Breathe deep..."

"Huh?"

"From what I've seen, Takeru freezes and stops breathing at the sight of you. Now breathe deep..."

"HUH-HOU..." breathed Yumi. "I don't get it..."

"Again..."

"HUH-HOU..." breathed Yumi again. "Why does he do that?"

"You make him nervous... Apparently he likes you that much," explained Sakura.

"Well, he did used to do that whenever he saw a needle... So it means he likes me?" blushed Yumi.

"Yupp, but he doesn't have the guts to do anything because, like I said, he might die from no oxygen."

Yumi giggled and felt her cheeks flush. Smiling, she looked at Sakura and shrugged her shoulders, giving a tiny squeak as she did.

"Hmmm, we're leaving early for Suna tomorrow... I'd say you should make your move now before we leave so that he has time to get used to the fact that he has a date with you. That way he doesn't cut your date short when he passes out."

"Oh my god! What do I say!?" squealed Yumi, throwing her hands on her head in disbelief. "I don't even know how to approach him anymore!"

"Hmmm... I'd say jump out and ask him out on a date really quick, then run away before he passes out and be sure to give him a whack so that he starts breathing again!" laughed Sakura, making motions with her hands as to how to do it.

"Can't you just tell him for me?" asked Yumi.

"Nope. I refuse. I think you should ask him yourself because you need to see his reaction. It's better than me being bombarded by questions afterwards, if I do."

"When should I do it?"

"Wait until after I'm done working so that I can watch!" giggled Sakura. "Though you should probably do it when he's bringing the crates of fish up the road. That's about when Ojiisan is taking care of business with the other fishermen. That's around six o'clock, I think... Catch him just as he's about to reach the house because I can't wander too far from the stove!"

"Ok!" nodded Yumi.

* * *

When Sakura had finally gotten off of work, she hurried back to the house to begin making dinner. She had just put the potatoes into the curry when there was a knock at the door. Sliding it open, Sakura found Yumi standing there in a pink dress and a starfish pin in her hair.

"Perfect!" said Sakura, smiling.

Yumi beamed in delightful nervousness.

"Oh! Oh! Here he comes!!" whispered Sakura.

Yumi ran down the front steps and hid behind a tree. Sakura just leaned against the front shouji doors to watch the scene unfold.

Just as Takeru passed the tree, Yumi jumped out and Takeru immediately froze.

"Konichi-wa, Takeru! Will you go out on a date with me?" asked Yumi.

"......"

"Can you atleast nod your head?"

Takeru nodded.

"Great! See you when you get back from Suna! Bye!"

Turning to go back up the road, Yumi felt like she forgot something. Looking up, she saw Sakura waving to her frantically.

"Oh!" said Yumi, cupping her hands over her mouth.

Turning back around, Yumi gave Takeru a hard whack on the back. When Takeru gasped for air, Yumi gave a nod asserting that he was breathing again, and ran away up the street.

Takeru stood there for about a good minute before moving again. He was trying his best to keep breathing. Looking up at Sakura, she grinned back at him and shrugged her eyebrows. Slightly hyperventilating, Takeru cracked an awkward smile, unsure of what had just happened but knowing full well that he wasn't dreaming. For the rest of the night, Takeru could not put together his words properly.


	4. Chapter 4

Sakura could feel a gentle hand upon her shoulder, giving her a little shake to get her to wake up. Opening her eyes, she saw Ojiisan's friendly face staring back at her.

"Time to get up," he whispered with a smile.

Squinting, Sakura could see a glow of light coming from outside her door. She could hear Takeru moaning as he made his way to the bathroom. Sakura sat up and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders. It was too cold to get up, so she had to sit there like that until she found the strength to. As her back felt the chill of cold, Sakura swayed to and fro with drowsiness. Eventually she managed to get on her feet and shuffle her way around to her clothes she had put out.

Grabbing a basket, she began to pack the bentos and onigiri for the road trip. It would take them about three days to get there, so she had a lot of dried foods ready to go. Coming out the front door, Sakura saw Takeru bringing up horses and 3 carts out from the back, which they had packed the night before. It was still dark, so Takeru was careful to guide the horses well.

Most of the products they were selling were dried goods, but some of the barrels had live fish which had one of those devices that kept the oxygen in the water so they didn't die.

"I'm glad you're coming with us," said Takeru with a yawn. "It was hard trying to take three carts with only two people manning them. Sometimes we'd only take two, but I think it wasn't even worth the trip because we couldn't sell as much."

Ojiisan came around from the back with some rope hanging over his shoulder. His movements were graceful and his steps were solid, making Sakura marvel at his youthful strength despite his being an old man. She could see that it was his long days at sea and constant exercise had made him this way.

"Sakura, are you going to be okay tagging along even though you're pregnant?" asked Ojiisan.

"Of course. It's healthy for me to get out. I just hope I don't get any more morning sickness!"

"How far along are you now?" asked Takeru.

"Hmmm... About three and a half months. Can you tell?"

"No, I really can't. I'm actually surprised that I can't!"

"Well, I'm glad I'm not showing yet, because I don't want anyone outside to see me pregnant as of yet."

"I think that's a good idea. If anyone is really looking for you, then atleast they won't be able to tell if you really are with child. Thanks again for coming with us," said Ojiisan, hopping onto the front cart.

Sakura and Takeru took up their posts on the other two carriages, Sakura's was in the middle and Takeru remained watching the back. After a short while, they could hear the sound of more carriages coming up the road. Being that they were the house closest to the road to Suna, they waited for the other fisherman to catch up before starting out as a complete caravan.

When the first of the carts pulled up behind them, Sakura turned to see that the fisherman's wives had come out with lanterns to watch them go. There weren't any children around as it was too early, but there were a few women carrying babys with them.

Sakura envied these women. She envied how they all had homes filled with the laughter of children and a husband to share it all with. Sakura took a deep sigh and felt her heart fall. She wished that she had that kind of a life with Itachi. She wished that he was there to watch her belly grow, and that he was there to name their child when it was born. Not once had Sakura thought of what to name it. It just didn't feel right without discussing it with Itachi.

Behind Sakura Takeru could still see the sadness on her face in the dark as she watched these women bid farewells to their husbands, and he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Sakura," said Takeru, suddenly shaking her out of her daze. "He'll come back. Absolutely."

Sakura smiled. She was lucky to have found such company.

"Arigatou, Takeru."

"Alright everyone! Time to go!" shouted Ojiisan, and with a sudden whip of the leashes, the horses began to move.

Sakura could hear the women shouting their last goodbyes, and although Takeru had made her feel better, the sounds of the women instantly made her sad again. Gripping the leash tightly with her hands, Sakura didn't realize that she herself had stopped breathing.

* * *

It was a quiet evening in Konoha and Tsunade was about to get up from her desk to leave. The sounds of crickets were becoming stronger, and the smell of food cooking made her hungry for some Yakitori sticks and Sake. Tapping some papers on the desk so that they bunched together neatly, she placed the papers on a stack of files that were piled high on the right side of her desk.

"Hokage-sama..." said an ANBU that suddenly appeared before her desk. "We have a situation... Itachi is here..."

"NANI!?" shouted Tsunade, but before she had time to ask questions, the door burst open and Shizune came flying in.

"Tsunade-sama! This is BAD!! Itachi's in the village, and he just threatened Naruto!!"

"NANI!?" shouted Tsunade again.

Naruto suddenly came running up behind Shizune and stopped short when he saw the ANBU.

"NOBODY PANIC!! Itachi's here! He just didn't know that Sakura was missing!! He's a little pissed off!! That's all!!" shouted Naruto with his hair a mess and his jacket askew.

"Hokage-sama, a team is in pursuit of Itachi and Kisame at the training grounds. Should we proceed?" asked the ANBU.

Tsunade looked over at Naruto who was frantically shaking his head no. She knew that he didn't want anything to happen to Itachi, not because of the allegiance they once had, but because Naruto knew that this was the last chance he had to go and find Sakura again.

Tsunade looked at the ANBU.

"Tell the team to stand down and tell Kisame that they will escort him here..."

"And Itachi?" asked the ANBU.

"He's here already, they're chasing a clone..."

The ANBU immediately turned around in shock. Standing in the darkest corner of the room was Itachi. Coming out of the shadows, he looked as if he was about to kill.

"Don't do anything you will regret," said a voice from outside the window.

They all turned to see that Jiraiya had just joined the conversation.

"Itachi," said Jiraiya, climbing through the window. "We didn't tell you about Sakura because we knew that Akatsuki was worried about where your focus lay. We didn't want to start anymore trouble."

"So you did know, Jiraiya. With all the spies you have, you did not once think to tell me?" said Itachi, his eyes growing fiercer.

"You and I both know that Akatsuki won't let you run around freely for long. If I had told you, they may have gone after Sakura just as Orochimaru had done."

Itachi was silent. That silence however, was soon broken as another joined the party.

"TSUNADE-SAMA!!" shouted Shikamaru as he came blasting through the office door. "BAD NEWS!! I was informed that the shinobi from the other villages are on the move!! I was told that they were looking for a pregnant girl! From what I heard, she was carrying the next Uchiha!!"

Everybody went absolutely silent.

Stunned, Shikamaru looked side to side in confusion. Before he knew it, he suddenly felt himself being lifted up by the neck and pinned against the wall so fast that it took him a good second to realize what had happened. Looking down a muscular arm, he met the Sharingan.

"Uchiha! Itachi!!" muffled Shikamaru, his eyes wide with surprise.

"What did you say..." asked Itachi.

"Put him down Itachi..." said a familiar voice. Kakashi had caught up as soon as he had heard.

"Are you sure she's pregnant?" asked Itachi, squeezing tighter and not taking his eyes off of his victim.

Shikamaru's face wrenched in suffocation.

"Yes... Neji saw it with the Byakuugan," explained Kakashi. "Sakura left the same night that you did and asked Neji not to say anything. Sakura felt that she had caused enough trouble and thought her being pregnant would make things worse."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Only Neji, Tsunade, and Jiraiya knew what was going on. Jiraiya didn't tell you because he had heard about Akatsuki's stance on the issue. Isn't your presence even now, endangering your position?"

"I was in the area," said Itachi, dropping Shikamaru to the ground.

Shikamaru gasped for air and shut his eyes in relief.

"Where is she now?" asked Itachi, now looking straight at Kakashi.

"We don't know. We lost track of her the next day due to rain. She didn't say where she was headed."

"So... you as her comrades let her get away, and now the other villages got wind of it. Dare I ask which villages?"

"Mist, Rain, and Cloud..." said Shikamaru with a raspy voice.

"Aaaah," said Itachi, expressionless. "So all the villages who have the worst history with Konoha are after her... I doubt they'd be willing to negotiate, seeing as you have nothing to offer."

"Leave the politics to me," said Tsunade. "... Now, what to do? Do you, Itachi, wish to leave the only girl that captured that heart of yours to her own decision? Or are you going to do what you should have done a long time ago, and make her your own for good?"

Though Itachi's expression didn't change, Tsunade knew that the question seared his heart. She knew that he had always regretted leaving Sakura, but that he felt it was his pain to bear for her sake.

"What a load of shit..." said Tsunade, reading his mind. "Leaving Sakura here may have been the ultimate sacrifice, but if you really loved her, you'd drop that facade of yours and battle for your right to keep her!"

Tsunade slammed her fists down onto the desk so hard that it sent all the papers flying.

"IF YOU HADN'T LEFT HER HERE THE SECOND TIME AROUND, WE WOULDN'T BE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION!!" screamed Tsunade. "YOU LOVE HER! I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO ASK YOU TO ADMIT IT!! IF YOU WERE MY BOYFRIEND, I'D HAVE LEFT YOU A LONG TIME AGO!!"

"Hmph," chimed in Jiraiya. "Sounds like your beliefs on love haven't changed one bit, Tsunade. It's true though, if you really do love her, Itachi, you'd be heroic enough to claim her as your own."

Jiraiya's eyes sparkled as he clenched his fist in assertion. Kakashi's eyes sparkled from the sidelines in a sudden wave of Icha Icha agreement.

"So..." said Tsunade, her eyes full of fire. "What are you going to do? Do you give chase? Or do I have to beat the living shit out of you for leaving us with your mess?"

Before Itachi could respond, the doors opened and Kisame came walking in alone.

"Jeez, give him a break would you?" said Kisame. "He came all this way didn't he?"

"NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!" screamed Tsunade, instantly silencing Kisame's mellow attitude. "So Itachi, what will it be?!"

Itachi stood there for a moment. Not even Naruto dared to break the silence that filled the room, but after a while Itachi turned to face Tsunade in the eyes.

"First..." said Itachi. "I'm going to marry her..."


	5. Chapter 5

The desert road was rocky and hot, and the heat waves that surfaced out of the ground looked as if it was going to cook the legs of the horses. Sakura had her hair tied high and put a wet cloth on her neck so that she was afforded some relief. The hat that she wore shielded her pink hair and kept her face from being burnt by the sun's harsh rays, while the leather straps that she held in her hands were soaked with sweat.

It was the caravan's third day on the road and the anticipation of finally reaching the Sand Village was evident in their restlessness. So far no one had gotten hurt, but there were already a few cases of dehydration along the way. Behind Sakura lay one older man who had fainted earlier, and was staying near her as a precaution.

Takeru let out a restless sigh and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I really hate the desert!!" he shouted. The sound of his voice echoed through the cliffs.

"You know," said Sakura to the man behind her. "I'm amazed that we haven't been attacked."

"That's because things have gotten much better since the reign of the current Kazekage," explained the man. "That plus the fact that no one wants to steal a barrel of fish... It's when we come back with money that's the problem."

"Do you folks get attacked all the time?"

"I can only recall it ever happening once. Every day I thank my lucky stars that they were a regular bunch of bandits and not a group of rogue shinobi. Otherwise things would have been much worse..."

"How long ago was that?" asked Sakura.

"Mmmm, about ten years ago. It was such a shame..."

"What was?"

"Takeru's parent's were the only two killed that day. Taro was so broken from having to watch his only daughter and son-in-law killed in front of his eyes, but then to have to go home and tell his wife..."

Sakura felt the blood leave her face. "... Where was Takeru?"

"He was back at home with his grandmother... He was really young, but you could tell that he understood. Since that day, we made it a rule not to bring women with families along, which pretty much means every female. Just in case something like that ever happened again, the kids wouldn't be left alone. Luckily Takeru had his grandfolks to watch over him. You're an exception though. From what I hear, you're an exceptional medical ninja who can take care of herself."

"Hehe... yeah..." chuckled Sakura sarcastically.

"Ah! There it is!" shouted Takeru from behind.

Squinting, Sakura could make out the high walls of the Sand Village through the waves of heat. Even though they could see it in their sights, it was much further away than it looked, and it took them another hour and a half to reach the gates.

As the caravan approached, Sakura suddenly felt so at home. The utility vests of the shinobi and the professional attitude that they had reminded Sakura of the things she had left behind, and it comforted her.

As the guard in front approached Ojiisan in the front carriage, Sakura suddenly found herself in the core of the attention.

"Who's the girl?" asked the guard. "You folks never bring any females."

"She's tough enough," said Taro. "She can handle herself."

The guard peeked around at Sakura. Focusing her eyes on him, Sakura could feel the other shinobi standing above her on the balconies were also looking at her in curiousity.

It was too late to slip on her gloves, so Sakura slowly turned her wrists upwards so that she hid the scars on her knuckles from view.

"You there!" shouted the guard walking over to her now. "What are you doing with this group?"

"They needed a doctor with them, I was the only one available," said Sakura with a look of innocence.

"Oh really..." said the guard with a grin. "Aren't you a little young to be a doctor?"

"Aren't you a little old to be getting fresh with someone so young?" asked Sakura.

The shinobi above began to laugh. The guard blushed but he didn't get mad.

"Very well, move on..." he said, waving for the caravan to proceed.

"Thank you," said Sakura with a sweet smile.

* * *

The marketplace was buzzing with so many people. Sakura then remembered that it was the weekend, and understood that this was the only time that working people could do their shopping. Even though they were in the middle of the desert, the produce that the market had was astonishing. There was no shortage of fresh vegetables and fruits, and Sakura wondered where it all came from.

As soon as the caravan cut down the street, a mass frenzy seemed to have erupted as the merchants caught hold of the rare visit. Seeing the reaction of the merchants, Sakura figured that fish must be pretty hard to come by, but not produce.

"Taro! Taro!!" one of the merchants started yelling to him. "I'll buy your whole lot off of you right now!!"

"You know we're fair when it comes to distribution. Get ready because we're going to start the auction soon!!" Ojiisan shouted back.

Sakura was excited. She had never seen this side of things before. The caravan seemed to have captivated the attention of the entire marketplace, and even the customers were beginning to crowd around to see who would win the bids. Even though the fish wouldn't be put out until the next day, the fish normally sold out very quickly so the customers were apt to see which store to turn to first.

Sakura saw one man squeezing through the crowds holding a purse full of money in his hand. She heard other merchants screaming to their employees to take over while they went to the auction. One woman who was left watching the stand sent her young daughter who had a stern look on her face to take care of business. Sakura smiled because she had never felt such energy surrounding her for something so simple as fish, but then again, for desert people, it wasn't simple.

The caravan turned the corner and Sakura was careful not to run over anyone. The man that was laying behind her sat up to see the spectacle.

"They're lucky you know," said the man. "Takeru and Taro, I mean. To have you along gives them a chance to sell a lot more, as well as give them much needed breaks."

Sakura smiled at the comment. She was happy and content, and much more glad to help.

Soon the caravan came to a stop at a tiny park. There, everyone got off the carts and began to wave people back to make some room to unload the barrels of live fish that they had caught. After doing so, Ojiisan and the others began walking around to tag their own barrels for the auction. As soon as everyone was set, Ojiisan gave the okay for the merchants to start viewing their catch. Being that the fishermen all caught their own fish, they were individually responsible for taking care of their own sales.

Before Sakura knew it, each fisherman went up one by one to begin auctioning off their batch of fish. It seemed that they all knew what to do, and soon the last auction to take place was Taro and Takeru's. Due to their catch being the last that the caravan had to offer, people were just about violent when it came to the last barrel. What was amazing, Sakura thought, was that at the head of the buyers was the little girl she saw. The girl stood there with a fierceness that reminded Sakura of Tsunade. She screamed out her bid louder than the rest, and in the end, she took the last barrel available.

"Ano..." asked Sakura to the girl. "How are you going to get the barrels home?"

"I'll have to go back and get my brothers," said the girl.

"How many brothers do you have?"

"Two."

"How many barrels did you buy?"

"Three."

"Well," said Sakura, "I'll help you carry this one back."

People were astonished as to how strong Sakura was when she carried that barrel down the street. As she made her way with the girl through the crowd, Takeru looked over to see what she was doing.

"SAKURA!!" screamed Takeru, running over to her aid. When he reached her, he forced her to hand the barrel over to him.

"Pregnant women shouldn't be carrying heavy loads!!" he scolded.

"You're pregnant?" asked the little girl.

"Yupp," said Sakura, rubbing her belly.

"Wow, that's gonna be some super-baby!" shouted the girl with her eyes opening wide in amazement.

By the end of the day the group was exhausted but cheerful. The dinner they had with the money they earned was spectacular. There was enough Yakiniku for everyone, especially for Sakura who noticed that her appetite had picked up. After some much needed drinking and merriment, the group settled into the night for a good long rest.

* * *

The next morning proved to be eventful. The caravan was leaving early the next day so they only had one day to do all their of shopping.

All of the fishermen split up and ran around the marketplace for food, supplies, and special materials to take home for their wives and children. As Sakura walked through the shops, she made sure that she bought clothes that would be a bit more fitting in her pregnancy. Smiling, she picked up a little toy and looked down to her belly.

"What do you think? You like this one?" she whispered with a smile.

"I think he'll like THAT one!" said Takeru, eyeing out a child's toy fishing pole. "I'll buy it for him!!"

"What makes you think it's a boy?" asked Sakura.

"If the father is everything you said he was, it will definitely be a son," said Takeru with a nod of affirmation.

"Why don't you get him something that will be for when he's really young, like his first stuffed animal? You may leave to go back home before he's old enough to fish," said Ojiisan, dropping into the conversation with a smile.

"Mmm!" nodded Sakura. "Ooooooh..."

Sakura's eyes opened wide. In the corner in the back of the room there was a small wallet with child-size shuriken. It was like the ones they used to practice with when she was younger.

"That's the one..." said Sakura, smiling.

As the three of them walked through the shops, they eventually came to the one with the little girl Sakura had helped. Walking in, they were greeted by the girl and her brothers who were giving their mother a break.

"Irrashaimasen!" shouted the little girl. "Oh, ohiyo!"

"Ohiyo!" they all replied.

Soon the group was immersed in a conversation of their plans to return, when suddenly there was a huge explosion. The ground shook so hard that a couple of plums fell off the shelf.

"What was that!?" shouted the girl.

"I don't know, maybe we should make sure everything is ok?" said Sakura.

Walking outside, the group looked around the shop to see that a huge chunk was missing from the wall that surrounded the village. They could hear screaming, so Sakura immediately rushed to help. The others followed suit.

Coming to the scene of the explosion, Sakura saw that the huge chunk of the wall had fallen onto the ground.

"Help!!" screamed a woman. "My son is trapped!!"

Sakura pushed past everyone. Rushing to the side where the chunk of wall was leaning against the main wall, she saw that beneath there was a tiny shoe.

"Okaasan!!" Sakura heard the boy screaming. Somehow he had managed to fit into a pocket when the rock fell.

Sakura became deaf to the people screaming around her, but one shinobi who stood next to her caught her attention.

"If only Kazekage-sama was here! Why did this have to happen while he was away!?" shouted the shinobi.

Sakura had to think fast. It would take a huge piece of equipment to move the chunk of wall, but they wouldn't be able to do it with a child underneath it.

"What's your son's name!?" shouted Sakura to the hysterical mother.

"Koji!" she said with sobs.

Sakura ran over to a nearby stand and grabbed a thick blanket that was for sale. Rushing back over, she shoved past the Sand shinobi who were now crowded where she was standing.

"What do you think you're doing!?" shouted one of the shinobi at her.

"Get everyone back!" she commanded. "You can't move the wall with him underneath it! Tell everyone to take cover!!"

The shinobi were reluctant at first, but soon they trusted in Sakura seeing as she was so resolute.

"Get back, everyone!!" shouted the shinobi.

"What are you going to do?" asked a captain who remained with Sakura.

"I'm going to have to use a lot of chakura for this one. Get back and cover your eyes... Koji?" said Sakura in a sweet voice, putting on her gloves.

"Hmmm?" answered the boy, sobbing and scared.

"Grab this and cover yourself good! Especially your eyes!" commanded Sakura as she slipped him the blanket.

"Ok..."

Sakura could hear the boy shuffling under the rock.

"Are you completely covered?"

"Mmmm!"

"Ok now, don't be afraid! I'm going to get this off of you in less then a minute so you can go back to your okaasan, ok?"

"Ok..."

Sakura moved a few yards back. Balling her hands into a fist, the shinobi could see her fists begin to glow blue with chakura.

Suddenly Sakura took off running straight for the rock.

"IKKKKEEEEE!!" she screamed.

_BOOOOM!!_

The whole chunk of rock shattered into thousands of pieces. As the rocks fell, Sakura reached over and grabbed the boy to pull him away from the falling rubble.

As Sakura jumped out of the way, a roar of cheers broke out amongst the crowd, and everyone surrounded her as she lifted the blanket off the boy's head and passed him to her mother.

"Is he okay?" asked Sakura as she watched the mother squeeze her child.

Sakura saw some scratches on the boy, so she began to heal them on the spot.

_"SUGOI!!"_ shouted the shinobi.

Sakura looked around to see if she could find Ojiisan and Takeru, but the crowd was suddenly pushed back as the captain came through to thank her. Shoving her way through to be front and center was the little girl, looking up at Sakura with her jaw dropped in wonderment.

"Arigatou!!" shouted the captain to Sakura, bowing as low as he could in thanks. "That was an amazing feat! Something that not every shinobi could do!!"

"AND SHE'S PREGNANT, TOO!!" shouted the little girl.

Sakura slapped her hand over the little girl's mouth and smiled. The little girl, too excited to be controlled, flailed her arms about in celebration under Sakura's grasp.

"That was just, amazing!!" said the captain. "Please! Let the Sand Village treat you to dinner! Please! I insist!!"

"Why thank you, but I actually have to get going. I'm leaving tomorrow so I have to get everything done today," said Sakura in thanks.

"Well, atleast let us pay for all your purchases!"

Takeru suddenly came through and catching wind of that, smiled big.

"Alright," said Sakura. "Arigatou!!"

The crowd was thick and took some time to disperse. As everyone shuffled to go back to their business, someone in the crowd spotted Sakura's pink hair.

"Hmmm?" said the shinobi trying to get a glimpse of her over the crowd. "That's strange... she looks like..."

Sakura ducked and weaved to get away from all of the attention, leaving the shinobi to search the crowd with his eyes to verify what he had seen. All the while, the little girl managed to trail Sakura. Going back to the girl's shop, Sakura found that Takeru and Ojiisan had the same idea, and showed up there too.

"Wow..." said Takeru with big eyes. "That was awesome..."

"Like I said before, that was some trick!" shouted Ojiisan with glee. "Are you alright though?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Let's get out of here though! This attention is bad!" said Sakura, looking cautiously side-to-side.

"Right," said Ojiisan, catching on quick.

The little girl and her brothers watched as Sakura made her way through the crowd, buying only supplies that she needed. Some of the merchants she came upon showered her with gifts because she wasn't taking items that she wanted rather than needed. By the time evening fell, the three carts that they had brought with them were once again filled, but this time with mostly goodies of all sorts.

* * *

The following morning was still buzzing with the excitement from the day before. Over at the Kazekage's office, the sound of two shinobi's footsteps echoed down the hall.

"That was fantastic!!" shouted one of two shinobi.

"But I wouldn't want to be that girl's husband! I'd get beat up everytime I got into trouble!!" laughed the second shinobi.

"Hmmm? What's going on?" asked Kankurou, walking down the hall.

"You didn't hear about the accident and the talent that came along that saved a little boy!?" shouted the first shinobi.

"Of course I did," said Kankurou.

"I think that was that girl though..." said the first shinobi.

"What girl?" asked Kankurou.

"That girl from Konoha. You know, the one that saved you from Sasori of the Sand's poison. I was there assisting when she came," he expained.

"You mean Sakura?"

"Yeah! Her! I'm not quite sure, but it looked like her! Pink hair and all! From what I heard, she was pregnant too!!"

"You're kidding!!" laughed Kankurou with a smile. "Wonderful! Oh shoot, I gotta go. I'd better tell Gaara and Temari... I'm supposed to meet them for lunch!"

With that, Kankurou ran down the hall smiling.

* * *

"So, Gaara, how was your trip?" said Temari as she picked up her bowl of rice.

The restaurant was abuzz with people eating and laughing. Sitting at the back table was Gaara and Temari.

"Kankurou's late, as usual..." said Gaara with his arms crossed, looking towards the entrance. "The trip was okay."

"That's it? Just okay?" said Temari. "Hmmm... my hashi are dirty..."

"Oi! Gomen!!" shouted Kankurou suddenly appearing. "I got held up at the office... How was the trip?"

"Okay, apparently..." said Temari.

"Great! So what did you order?" asked Kankurou.

Temari rolled her eyes, she couldn't believe the simplicity of a guy's mind.

"Beef Shabu Shabu," said Gaara.

"Oh, did you hear about the accident yet, Gaara?" asked Temari.

Gaara shook his head. He had only just got into town an hour ago.

"Well, some dumb kid decided to play with an explosive note he found..." said Temari shaking her head.

Temari recanted the story about the female shinobi who suddenly showed up and saved the day. As she did so, Gaara was silent, but he was curious as to the background of this shinobi.

"Where was she from?" asked Gaara.

"No one knows! She ran off to skirt the attention!" said Temari waving her chopsticks.

"I know where she's from..." said Kankurou grinning.

"Hmmm? Where?" asked Temari. Gaara looked at him for an answer.

"Ko-no-ha!" said Kankurou smartly. "And you know her too!"

"WHO!?" shouted Temari.

"It was Sakura! And guess what!! She's pregnant!!"

"HONTOU-NI?" said Gaara, wide-eyed. Sakura was younger than they were.

Temari suddenly choked on her food.

"Where is she!?" she coughed in urgency.

"I don't know. Why?"

"We need to find her!" whispered Temari. Looking around, Temari began to tell them what she had learned back in Konoha.

"...you're kidding..." said Kankurou.

"The next Uchiha?" said Gaara in amazement. "So... that's what it was..."

"Hmm?" said Temari and Kankurou.

"On my trip, I learned some disturbing news..." said Gaara. "The other villages are on the move. They were looking for someone but we didn't know who. Someone pregnant..."

"Shimata! If she's here then that could mean a lot of trouble for the Sand!" whispered Temari. "We can't just give her up though! We have to make sure she's safe!"

Kankurou nodded in agreement. He owed her a whole lot more than anyone else sitting at that table.

"Where is she now?" asked Temari.

"I don't know, but I'll find out..." said Kankurou getting up from the table.

After a little investigation, the three were eventually led to the inn that Sakura and the others had stayed. There they found that the group had already left, but they also found what village that they had come from.

"What should we do now?" asked Temari.

"We leave her be..." said Gaara.

"What!?" shouted Kankurou, "We can't do that!!"

"My first priority as Kazekage is to protect the Sand Village," said Gaara. "Right now the other villages are searching areas surrounding Konoha, and not where she's staying. If I send a party out to meet her, the other villages will surely catch on. We need to notify the Hokage and have them make their attempt secret. We cannot get involved in something on this high of a scale. Not now, atleast..."

Kankurou and Temari understood. In a fragile situation like this, not only would the task of protecting Sakura from other villages prove taxing, but it would damage the reputation of the Sand if the other villages knew that they were protecting someone involved with the surviving Uchihas. Since Sasuke's disappearance and Itachi joining Akatsuki, the reputation that came with the mention of those two would be devastating.

"Temari..." said Gaara.

"Hai?"

"Send a message to Konoha..."


	6. Chapter 6

Sakura had her head resting in her hands as the carriage pulled along. The trip back home seemed much quicker, and they soon found themselves in the cool shelter of the woods. It was about six o'clock now, and the sun was going to set in about 2 hours. As the carriages pulled up to the village, something seemed strange.

Ojiisan led the carriages to the center of the village, but as he did so, he looked around wondering why it was so quiet.

"Where is everyone?" asked Ojiisan to himself.

Sakura couldn't hear a thing and the lights from the homes were not on.

_This is bad..._ said Sakura.

Sakura pulled the carriage to a hault and signaled to the others to stop. Everyone was wondering the same thing and trusting Sakura, they remained quiet.

"Who's out there!?" Sakura shouted.

"Hmhmhmmm..." came a dark voice. "Sakura is it? The same Sakura who carries the next Uchiha in her womb?"

Out of the shadows of one of the homes came a shinobi with scars on his face. The forehead protector indicated he was from the Rain Village.

"So, how did you find me?" asked Sakura.

"Well... let's just say there's a little girl back in the Sand Village who idolizes you..."

"What'd you do to her!" yelled Sakura, gritting her teeth.

"Nothing... she boasted so loud and clear that I didn't have to," said the shinobi, signaling his hand.

Suddenly the shouji doors slid open and a woman carrying her baby was kicked out. Falling to her knees on the ground in front of everyone, she clutched her child in her arms tightly.

"Sakiko!!" screamed a man from a cart behind Sakura.

"Release them!" demanded Sakura. "I'll do whatever you want, just release them!"

"Did you hear that boys?" said the shinobi loudly. "Release them!!"

The doors on all the houses were kicked open and all the women, children, and elderly came rushing out to meet their husbands, fathers, and sons.

"There you go, now, let's go," said the shinobi to Sakura.

"No!!" screamed the little girls.

Sakura held her hand up to make them stop.

"Stay here. Don't argue. This is what I have to do, understand?" said Sakura in a stern voice.

The girls, immediately remembering their attitudes under Sakura's tutelage, nodded their heads and stayed back.

"Good! Good!" said the shinobi with his hands on his hips. "Tie her up!"

As Sakura was being bound, she began counting how many shinobi there were.

_One..two... Four..._ thought Sakura, finding the last man.

However, as soon as they were done tying her, the shinobi made his real intentions true.

"Well, we can't have anyone left behind telling people who took you so... kill everyone!!" he shouted with a laugh.

Everyone began to scream as the shinobi took out swords, but as soon as Sakura heard him utter those words, she burst through the ropes using the strength she had, and killed the shinobi standing next to her with a solid punch to the head.

The other shinobi instantly turned their attention to her, realizing that she was their biggest threat. Surrounding her, they lunged at her only to find that she was much quicker than they were. As they slashed at her with all their might, she dodged with great speed and agility, delivering her blows with a kunai as she went.

Seeing as how the shinobi were not as experienced as she thought, she guessed that the shinobi thought she was much more along with her pregnancy than they had assumed.

As the last shinobi fell to the ground, Sakura turned to look at the villagers, all of whom were shocked with how much blood she was covered in. The little girls were shaking and the others were frightened. Sakura had never known what her job as a shinobi would do to those who had not witnessed her in action, until that moment.

However, in that moment she when she let her guard down to address the villagers, one of the shinobi got up and punched her as hard as he could in her stomach.

"...If we can't have it, no one can," the shinobi grimaced, gloating in Sakura's shocked expression.

Ojiisan quickly took out his fishing knife and stabbed the man in the back. Putting his arm around Sakura, he yelled at the villagers to snap out of it.

"Hurry! Where's the doctor!?" Ojiisan yelled.

"Step back! Everyone!" shouted the head doctor as he pushed his way forward from the back of the crowd. Laying her on the ground, everyone saw that she was tearing.

"Sakura..." said the head doctor. "I don't think I need to tell you the verdict."

Sakura nodded her head as the tears fell in a silent stream down the sides of her face. In her heart, she knew that there was no way her pregnancy could have survived that punch.

"Everyone!" yelled Ojiisan. "We need to get rid of the bodies! Hide everything that indicates they were here!!"

The men and women began to scramble. Every inch of the village was searched for good measure. Anything showing a sign of struggle was taken out and burned.

As the night went on, only the sound of a huge fire could be heard. The men stood there watching everything burn while they discussed what should be said if anyone came looking for the shinobi. Over at Ojiisan's house, several of the women and girls kept a close eye on Sakura. She had not stopped crying since she had started.

The women of the village ached for Sakura. The loss of her pregnancy was so devastating for her. She would not eat, nor would she drink. Clutching her stomach, she rocked back and forth in grief. It was bad enough that she had lost Itachi, but the baby too? It was too much for her to bear, and every now and then she would gag from crying so hard. As the women took care of everything else around the house, they let Sakura cry to her heart's content, knowing that it was the first step in getting over the hardship she endured.

As the tears poured out, Sakura cursed in her mind the people who had sought to harm her, but most of all, she cursed herself. As the hours passed and the thoughts of everything that had happened over the last few months swirled in her head, Sakura bit down on her lip in bitterness. All that she had was gone. Anything worth anything, gone....

* * *

Sakura had awoken to the sound of someone knocking on the door. As the door slid back, she saw the head doctor peek his head in.

"Sakura?" he asked. "May I please examine you?"

Nodding, Sakura knew that her condition would be last as there was no use denying what was done. There were other people in the village who needed treating, and the doctor thought it best to see them first.

"Please, remain lying down...." said the doctor.

Sakura stared blankly at the ceiling. She didn't think it necessary to watch the doctor's movements as he took out his equipment. Lifting up her shirt, he began to examine her thoroughly.

"Sakura...." asked the doctor looking confused.

"Hmm?"

"Are.....Are you sure you were pregnant?" he said putting down his stethoscope and looking at her directly.

"Nani?"

"Are you sure you were pregnant?" he asked again.

"Pretty sure...why?"

"Because you're not!" he said with a slight laugh of relief. "You're not pregnant! You never were!"

Sakura sat up on her elbows.

"You're kidding....."

"No, I'm not!!" he said again with a laugh.

"Then... this whole time...." said Sakura looking confused, but then returning her gaze to the doctor.

The doctor shook his head and smiled.

Sakura dropped back to the ground.

"THANK GOODNESS!!!!" she yelled. Not only was it a relief for her to not have lost her baby, but to not have been pregnant without a husband was such a relief!

"Arigatou, doctor!!!" she screamed, jumping out of bed. Running out she hugged Ojiisan and told him the news.

"You're kidding...." he said with an ironic look on his face. "You're really not pregant!?!"

Sakura nodded and smiled, but then stopped. Thinking back, she suddenly got sad.

"What's wrong?" said Ojiisan.

"Well, I was actually happy with having Itachi's baby.... I was really actually happy...."

"Sakura, you are young!" said Ojiisan with a laugh. "You have plenty of time! Please! Think of it as a blessing! Find someone who will love you and stay with you, not someone who may be obligated to! You have been blessed with this chance to start anew. WE have been blessed to know you! Do not feel sad!!"

Sakura nodded and eventually smiled. Hugging Ojiisan, she asked, "So, what do I do now?"

* * *

The next morning dawned with a bright and clear sky. The birds chirped in the surrounding area as if nothing bad had happened. Standing on the pier watching the sun rise was Sakura.

"Ano...." came a voice from behind her.

Sakura turned around to see that it was Takeru.

"So.... what are you going to do now, Sakura?" asked Takeru.

"I don't know," sighed Sakura. "I guess... I guess I can go back to Konoha..."

"But why not live your life here? Why not just stay with us?"

"I can't.... Now that everyone knows who I am and where I am, I'm endangering all of you.... I keep trying to protect those around me, but I am just failing at it. What's worse is that shinobi are now after a pregnancy that I don't have!It was stupid of me to have left...."

"Well," said Takeru, bumping her with his shoulder. "I think you did a brave thing, it just sucks the way things turned out. I will say one thing though.... I'll miss your cooking forever!"

With that, Takeru glomped Sakura around the arms laughing, she laughed too. Realizing that in the end everything had turned out okay, she told herself to get over it and fix it.

"Arigatou Takeru... I'll be leaving tonight, so I'll prepare one last dinner for you before I leave..."

Takeru's face saddened. He did not want her to go, but he knew that there was a family she had left behind that needed her more than he ever could. Nodding to let her know he understood, Takeru turned and walked away.

As the day moved along, it seemed as if time was moving fast to purposely strip Ojiisan and Takeru of their comrade. The whole village seemed gloomy, and it wasn't because of the previous night's events. With Sakura gone, many of the girls felt that they would be left with no future, even though it wasn't so. Throughout the day, many people walked by the home and stopped to hear her voice. They knew she was packing so they didn't interrupt, but nevertheless they lingered to try and soak the sound of her voice into their memories.

Night fell and the village came out to see her off. The lanterns that shone were like those lighting the way for the dead. Sakura could hear the sobs of the little girls echoing through the darkness as she made her way up the dirt road. Turning around, she waved to them one last time as Ojiisan and Takeru stood at the forefront.

"Come back and visit!" shouted Ojiisan to her as she left.

"I will!" Sakura shouted back.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura walked on. Tears were falling from her eyes as every silent step took her further from her friends. It was so lonely for her to be out like this alone. As Sakura turned a corner in the road, she stopped to sit on a rock next to a Jizo statue and began to cry.

Sakura never felt more stupid in all her life. Everything that she tried to do to protect those around her only brought them more trouble, and even worse, she got the villagers involved. However, none of those things broke her heart more than the pain that came with being alone. She was relieved to learn that she wasn't pregnant, but her heart still ached for Itachi.

_"Why couldn't he have just taken me...."_ she thought as the tears fell on her lap. _"I really am pitiful...."_


	7. Chapter 7

Sakura walked well into the night. Although she was alone, Sakura had the soft breeze that enveloped her to comfort her, which it did, but only to a small extent. The sound of the trees calmed her worries and swept away thoughts of Itachi. Taking a deep breath she sucked the cold air into her lungs, refreshing her wearisome mind and energizing her feet. It was almost midnight, and she estimated that she had walked about twelve miles.

_"Well," _thought Sakura._"Atleast I don't have to worry about vitamins anymore..."_

Another hour passed and Sakura came into an area where the trees were more spaced out. Taking the opportunity to cover some ground, Sakura widened her step while she followed the stars above to keep her in the right direction. As she did so though, a cloud began to cover her view of the stars, and looking forward, she noticed that it wasn't a cloud, but rather a strange mist.

Something about the mist felt awkward and thick, almost to the point of breathing in smog. Thinking that perhaps she was in a marshy area, Sakura trudged on, but with a quicker pace.

As the mist got thicker, Sakura soon became more and more worried as she almost ran into a tree just three feet from her.

_"Something's not right..."_thought Sakura, stopping to look around.

As the mist soon began to envelope her into being unable to see one foot in front of her, Sakura quietly ducked down where she stood, and pulled a kunai from her bag. Shutting her eyes, she began to listen.

There was no movement, and now there was no sound. Sakura couldn't even hear the leaves rustling anymore, and it was becoming harder to breathe.

_"There's no way they can see through this themselves,"_thought Sakura. _"Something tells me this thickness is to get me to cough...."_

Making the first move, Sakura threw her kunai straight ahead, but she didn't expect it to hit someone.

"Aaah!" came a shout in front of her.

Sakura heard two shinobi twitch in reaction to the other's shout. So, they were flanking her.

Slowly and quietly Sakura crept three feet back from where she had stopped. Judging by their positions, they had seen where she was last.

Sakura pulled two more kunai from her bag, careful not to make a sound. Coming into a kneel, she prepared to pounce once they came to be directly in front of her. Crossing her arms in front of her, Sakura made to stike both at once.

_crack!_

Suddenly Sakura heard a branch to her back left snap. She knew better then to move though. They were pulling the same trick she had.

_"Only a few steps more...."_thought Sakura, feeling like she was about to cough. Opening her eyes, she soon found two feet in front of her, both belonging to a different person.

Sakura jumped and striked, stabbing the two shinobi in the throat. Dropping down and backing to her right just a few feet, she heard the third move forward to find them dead.

_crack!_

_"So, there's more...._" thought Sakura, hearing it from her left. _"Two, atleast..."_

Sakura squatted there quiet and still, thinking of her next move. She wouldn't be able to take both out at the same time like she did the last two, so once she struck the third she would have to in turn defend herself.

_"That's if there's only two...._"

Sakura knew she had to strike before she lost their positions, so, creeping back towards the bodies, she found the third shinobi peering into the mist. As soon as she caught sight of him she slashed his achilles causing him to fall down before slicing his throat. However, although Sakura was preparing for the shinobi on her left to come out, she didn't know that there was a fifth one waiting to her right.

Suddenly Sakura felt the tip of a kunai touch her throat.

_"Don't move..."_whispered the shinobi. _"...or I'll make you bleed...."_

The mist around Sakura began to disperse. As she could slowly began to make out the trees around her again, she made out the fourth shinobi walking over to her, sneering. Looking up, Sakura found four other shinobi in the trees.

_"Shinobi from the Kirigakure, Village Hidden in the Mist..."_thought Sakura, seeing their forehead protectors.

"Alright boys, let's go...." said the shinobi with the kunai to her neck. "Stand up, Sakura...."

Sakura was trying to think of what to do. If they found out that she wasn't pregnant, she'd be killed without hesitation. So, relying on that little secret, Sakura thought to take advantage of it to make them pull their punches.

Grabbing the shinobi's hand that held the kunai, she elbowed him with the other arm right in the stomach. Flipping him over her back, she threw him at the other shinobi to clear an opening. However, the other shinobi were quick to respond and one brought a kunai to her belly and another to her neck.

"Unlike the others, I don't care if you're carrying an Uchiha. I'll cut you regardless...." sneered the shinobi. "What's the matter? Don't care because you're not pregnant? Oh, Sakura, but you are....."

Sakura looked over her shoulder at him in confusion.

"Do you think we want the Amegakure chasing after us once they find that their shinobi have been killed? Sakura.... I was told you were a smart shinobi! How sad...."

Sakura gasped. "Genjuitsu?...."

"Ahh, that's better. Now, let's move on, shall we?"

* * *

It was an early morning and the chill of the air nipped at the shinobi's cheeks. The sounds of birds filled the forest as they bounded through the trees along the seashore. Looking out to the horizon, the sun had not yet risen.

"Kakashi-sensei, are we going the right way?" asked Naruto.

"According to the Kazekage, this is the fastest route," said Kakashi.

Naruto moaned. Looking side to side, he wasn't satisfied with the company they had brought.

Kisame and Itachi had come along, which was a given, but only Ino came.

"Nee, Kakashi-sensei, why did we only bring Ino?" asked Naruto.

"Well, I think we learned from the last time what it was like to travel without a medical nin on such a high class mission... You should know better than anyone else, Naruto."

"Tsk!" said Naruto, narrowing his eyes at Kakashi.

"Do you smell that?" asked Ino.

"Fire...." said Kisame. "Judging by the smell, it's a village burning."

The team picked up the pace, and soon up ahead they could see the glow of a raging fire. They rushed until they reached the very edge of the wood, and coming upon the village square, they stopped to see that the whole village was rounded up in the middle.

"Where is she!?!" screamed a shinobi, shaking an old man by his collar.

"I don't know what you're talking about!!! Those clothes belonged to my late daughter!!!" screamed the man.

"Ojiisan!!!" cried Takeru dashing forward. "Let him go!!!"

_POW!!!_

One of the other shinobi connected his foot to Takeru's face.

"Takeru!!!" screamed Yumi, dashing forward to shield him with her body.

"Well, well, well... looks like we've got pretty little one! Tell me, how old are you girl?" said the shinobi who kicked Takeru. His breath smelled horrible and his face was unshaven.

"I don't know what you're talking about!!!" screamed Yumi.

The shinobi holding Ojiisan threw him to the ground.

"Somebody had better start talking!!! Tell me why, oh why, does a household with only an old man and a young boy have brand new clothes to fit a pregnant woman!?! And look!!!" the shinobi yelled, holding up something shiny. "Toy shuriken!!! In a fishing village!!!"

The old man lifted his hand up toward the shinobi, begging him to let them be. The shinobi kicked him in the stomach, causing him to curl into a ball.

"I think we need a little persuasion....." said the shinobi, walking over to Yumi and grabbing her by the hair.

Kakashi signaled to Ino and the others to spread out.

"I'll start with this one!" screamed the shinobi, pulling out a kunai and looking at everyone.

"NO!!!" screamed Yumi's mother.

"TOO LATE!!!!"

The shinobi brought the kunai down, and Yumi felt a tug and a spray. Looking up, she saw a fearsome man with eyes that glowed red holding the handle of a kunai whose blade was now run through the bottom of the shinobi's jaw, through his tongue, and into the roof of his mouth.

"Shinobi of Amegakure.... I am the father whom you should fear...." said Itachi, looking at the others who stood by flaberghasted. Yanking the blade out, the shinobi dropped by Itachi's feet.

Suddenly one of the shinobi turned to the other and jumped upon him, killing him with a sword. It seemed that something, or rather someone, had taken over his mind because soon after that he slit his own throat.

Kisame came out and blasted one of the shinobi with his sword before saying, "Jeez, that's some creepy juitsu!"

Kakashi and Naruto came out to kill the other shinobi, but the one that had struck Takeru was now crawling backwards and away from Itachi. Standing up the shinobi turned to run in the opposite direction, but was soon stabbed through the heart with a fishing knife.

Looking up, the shinobi who threatened the wrong girl found his life being taken not by another shinobi, but by a mere boy. As the shinobi fell to Takeru's feet, Yumi rushed forward to hug him, but the guilt of having taken a human life was forever done.

As soon as the villagers saw that the coast was clear, they ran for buckets and water to put out the fires.

"Ojiisan...." said Takeru with tears in his eyes. Turning the old man over, he saw that his face was covered in blood.

"My dear boy..." whispered Ojiisan. "It will take a lot more than that to make this stubborn soul leave this body."

Takeru burst into tears and hugged his grandfather. To him, he was the bravest person in the world.

* * *

After the fires were put out and the injured tended to, Ojiisan looked at Ino with thanks.

"You're just like her," he said. "Sakura, I mean."

"She was here!?!" gasped Ino.

Ojiisan nodded, and the others gathered around.

"I'm afraid we may have let her go too soon...." said Ojiisan, looking down and away. "You see, we were attacked and she saved us. The shinobi who came here were looking for her, but one of them....."

Ojiisan stopped and looked up at Itachi. "One of them struck her in the stomach...."

Ino cupped her hand over her mouth. "No...."

Everyone looked up at Itachi, who didn't take his eyes off the old man.

"However...." continued Ojiisan. "...something tells me that she is alright. You see, about two days after Sakura left we had found the body of the head doctor, he had been murdered."

"Let me see it." said Kisame.

Ojiisan led them to where they still held the body of the doctor. Kisame opened the coffin to examine the corpse.

"He's been dead for atleast four days," said Kisame.

"If that is true," said Ojiisan, "then that means that the person who examined Sakura was not the doctor! The doctor had visited her the night before she left, and told her that she wasn't pregnant!"

"A clone...." said Kakashi. "But the punch to the stomach? Why go through the trouble of telling her she wasn't pregnant if the baby was gone?"

"Genjuitsu," said Itachi. "In order for the doctor to have a reason to examine her, he'd have to have set up a genjuitsu."

"But why set up genjuitsu?" asked Naruto.

"To get her to leave on her own," said Kisame. "He must have been a scout. It's easier to find someone in hiding if you blend into those around you. After she defeated the other shinobi, he would have known that their comrades would come looking for them soon."

"Ah! The shinobi who were here today were the same who attacked us three days before," said Ojiisan. "At first they were looking for their comrades, but then they began to search for her. They didn't know that she had left."

"So, another village is already aware of her location and has tricked her into leaving the village," said Kakashi. "They may even have her now."

Itachi clenched his fist.

"Where was she headed?" asked Kakashi.

"Back to Konoha, but I fear she may have been attacked if this is the case," said Ojiisan, looking worried.

"We are sorry for the trouble," said Kakashi bowing. The others followed suit.

"Please, don't be. We love Sakura and all that she has done. We owe her a lot more than she knows."

"Arigatou for all that you have done for her," said Kakashi on behalf of the others.

As they all turned to leave, Ojiisan stopped the Itachi who was last.

"You're him, aren't you?" asked Ojiisan. "The father?"

Itachi turned to face the man like he was facing his convictions. Nodding, his eyes softened.

"You did come for her afterall," said Ojiisan. "We all knew you would. Sakura knew too. You are very lucky to have her...."

Itachi nodded.

"For what it's worth," continued Ojiisan, "sometimes we all make mistakes, though we believe they are the not. It is in the realization of when we are wrong that we can change things. Sakura knows that you left because you loved her, but in the end, I can see now that not only does she need you, but you need her too. It takes a brave man to face these realizations, to correct their mistakes, and admit they were wrong. I can see in your eyes that you have come to the realization of such a moment, and I no longer have any doubts of you. I have a feeling that this is not the last time we will meet."

With that last word, Itachi turned and followed the others. As he headed up the road, he had a nagging feeling that caused him to stop. Turning around, he saw Takeru holding Yumi, both of them looking at him.

"Find her," said Takeru.

Itachi nodded, and continued up the road. In his heart he was thankful for the old man's words. This was indeed his path to redemption, and it was Ojiisan's words that invoked his determination and sealed it in his mind. For Itachi, Sakura was not lost to him yet.


	8. Chapter 8

An entire day had passed and Sakura was now walking blindfolded through the night with her hands tied in front. The chilly air had been nipping at her legs shoulders. She didn't like being blindfolded, but at least the Mist shinobi were kind enough to give her a coat.

Walking along, Sakura felt like an incubator. To them she was just the carrier of the baby, and nothing more. She didn't know what would happen when she gave birth, but all she knew was that it would be easy to replace her with another mother.

_Hell, they might even just C-section me to get the baby out. Why wait for a natural birth when you can just harvest me when you feel I'm ripe...._thought Sakura sarcastically.

The thought of the shinobi cutting her open when the baby was ready was a bit nauseating, but she wouldn't put it past them knowing their history of training their fellow shinobi in a brutal manner. All Sakura knew was that she just had to make it to wherever they were going, and then figure out how to survive.

Soon Sakura could smell the ocean. It seemed that the quickest and safest way back to Kirigakure would be to travel by sea. Sakura didn't know how far they would have to go to find their vessel, but she knew that once they disembarked, there'd be no way of tracking her after that, be it shinobi from Konoha or Amegakure. In her mind Sakura knew that if she wanted to live, she'd have to make a break before they got her on that ship. Once out at sea she wouldn't be able to run, nor would she be able to call for help. It was a scary thought, and Sakura knew that it was better to die trying then become a ghost that no one knew had died.

"We'll stop here for now," said a shinobi to Sakura's left. "We'll take turns watching the girl."

Sakura felt herself being led to a place to sit and lean against a tree.

"I have to pee," said Sakura. "Pregnant women pee a lot, you know."

Sakura heard the shinobi grunt before picking her up under the arm. As he led her away, she hoped that he would have the decency to let her use the bathroom on her own, seeing as it wouldn't be very nice for a girl to be squatting blindfolded.

The shinobi led Sakura quite a bit away from the others. Untying her blindfold, he left her wrist bound but had a rope tied to it like a leash. Sakura went behind a bush as the shinobi turned his back to her, but as Sakura began to do her business, the wind's direction suddenly changed and she caught wind of something.

Pulling up her pants after she was done, Sakura walked out of the bushes and let the shinobi blindfold her again. As she followed him back, she turned her head a bit to see if she could catch wind of it again.

_So, _thought Sakura._ Other shinobi have finally caught up. This is my chance...._

Sakura had smelt the ugly sweat of a man coming from downwind of them. The sudden change of the wind's direction brought the smell of him right to her nose. She didn't know if the shinobi who was watching her had noticed, but she knew that she would have to ensure the successfulness of her escape. How many were out there she didn't know, but she knew that it would not be long before they made their strike.

When Sakura and her watcher got back to the others, Sakura thought that it would be best to tell them, seeing as a fight would be prolongued if no one would be surprised in an attack. Telling her captors the news of their discovery would definitely even the playing ground and give her a bigger window of time to escape.

"So," said Sakura as she sat down. "Has anyone else noticed the arrival of more shinobi?"

The shinobi around her looked side to side at eachother. They didn't know whether she was bluffing or not.

"Really? You can't smell them?" asked Sakura.

She could hear the shinobi signaling to eachother. They were preparing for the attack.

"Good," said Sakura. "You had better be ready...."

Sakura could break the rope that bound her wrists without a problem, but hopefully they didn't know that. Sakura reached up and removed her blindfold. Seeing as their prized possession was now in danger, they didn't mind. If a kunai were sent flying her way, at least she'd be able to see it coming.

"Are you sure?" asked the shinobi who had first caught her.

"Positive. I smelt his stench quite clearly," answered Sakura. "Not very shinobi-like, if you ask me. Why bother hiding if people can smell you..."

Sakura saw him begin to make hand gestures, and soon the woods became filled yet again with a thick mist. Out of the appearing mist Sakura felt the shinobi silently grab her arm and lead her away from the group. He was heading for the ocean.

The other shinobi began to back up in defense and covered them as they made their way through the woods. Soon however, the smell that Sakura had spoke of suddenly made its way to them, and they knew for sure that she wasn't bluffing.

Sakura heard a scream of pain. Squinting her eyes, she saw that one of the Mist shinobi had disappeared and made his attack against one of the shinobi in pursuit. Soon another Mist shinobi had silently left, but thereafter a scream came from the mist, and judging by the way the shinobi around her reacted, it was that of their own. The others who remained guarding Sakura let their comrade who had gone to make the first attack, take out the others one by one while they kept their defensive positions.

Sakura was getting ready. She knew that this kind of warfare would not keep up for long, she could feel the pressure building, and sure enough, a kunai shot straight out from the mist and into her captors heart.

The juitsu dispersed and they were surrounded. The four Mist shinobi who remained now saw that they were facing five others from Kumogakure, the Village Hidden in the Clouds. As soon as the mist had disappeared enough for them to see eachother, the battle was on.

Due to the quite even number of the shinobi, Sakura took the opportunity to release herself and make a dash for it. They all noticed that she was running away, but none of them could really give up their positions as it would cost them their lives. How long it would last though, Sakura didn't know.

Running as fast as she could, Sakura made her way out of the woods and onto the shore. Looking left to right, she didn't know which way to run, so she began to run back down the coast towards Ojiisan's village.

The moonlight made made everything blue, but it was light enough for her to see where she was going.

"Aaaaah!!!" screamed Sakura, falling to her knees and clutching her stomach. Looking over her shoulder she could see two shinobi coming up from behind.

"Get up Sakura!!" she yelled at herself.

Picking herself up, Sakura began to run again. As she did however, she began to make out in the distance five dark figures coming her way.

Sakura pulled out a kunai to prepare for the worst when she recognized a familiar body figure: Ino's.

"INO!!!!" shrieked Sakura as she ran towards her.

"SAKURA!!!" Ino shouted back, picking up her speed.

Sakura could hear the two shinobi closing in on her even faster. Closing her eyes, Sakura began to shed tears as the pain in her side was becoming more and more prevalent. Opening them, she saw Itachi's image zip by her as he passed, right before he jammed two kunai right into the guts of the shinobi.

Sakura collapsed right into Ino's arms. Hugging her childhood friend, Sakura let loose all of her frustrations of having been on her own for so long, and just cried her eyes out right there on the beach.

Sakura tried her best to pull herself together, and when she calmed a bit, Kakashi was there to get to business.

"How many were there?" asked Kakashi.

"Five Cloud, Four Mist," gasped Sakura.

Kakashi nodded to the others and soon he, Kisame, and Itachi were off into the woods to make sure that nobody left the area with news of Sakura's whereabouts. Sakura was left in the hands of Ino and Naruto, but though Sakura was quite emotional, Ino and Naruto were unable to hold themselves back.

Ino and Naruto hugged Sakura like they would never let her go. They could feel Sakura tightening her grip on them.

"Gomen!" cried Sakura. "Gomen...."

"Sakura we were so worried!!!" said Ino.

"Sakura, please don't ever leave again!" said Naruto, muffling his face into her back. "I didn't know what to do with myself!!!"

"Gomen..." said Sakura softly. "I didn't want to bring you anymore trouble."

"Baka!" shouted Naruto. "I'd take all the trouble in the world over not knowing if you're okay!"

Ino nodded in agreement.

Sakura leaned back and touched her belly in pain.

"Let me see..." said Ino, bringing her hand down to Sakura's stomach. "I think you're just stressed."

Sakura looked at her friends with such desperate relief in her eyes. She was thankful that she had friends who missed her while she was gone, and who in the end, would give up everything to find her if she were lost. Sakura felt guilty for all that she had done, and looking down, she felt ashamed for making them worry like that.

"Arigatou..." said Sakura.

Naruto and Ino gave her a reassuring smile.

"See!" said Naruto. "Itachi did come back for you!"

"Yupp," nodded Ino. "He sure did! Almost gave Tsunade a heartattack though!"

Sakura looked down and away. She was still hurt by what he had done, and she didn't know what would happen if they were alone together again. Looking into her own heart, Sakura wasn't sure if she was happy or sad that he came back.

"What now?" asked Sakura.

"Well, we don't know!" said Naruto. "We were kinda just trying to find you, but when we reached Taro's village and found they were being attacked..."

"They were attacked again!?!" shouted Sakura.

"Mmmm, it was a good thing we got there in time to stop it."

"Oh!" said Ino, remembering. "I brought the clothes you bought! We figured out what happened when we discovered that the doctor was a clone."

"So...." said Sakura sadly. "He is dead then..."

"They're not mad at you Sakura..." said Naruto, immediately reading her mind. "In fact, they spoke very highly of you and were worried about you."

Sakura began to tear again. Hugging Naruto, she tried to convey in that one hug what he meant to her.

"We need to move...." said Ino. "...we can't stay in the open like this..."

Ino nodded. Both of them picked up Sakura under the arms and led her back into the wood, but in just enough to where they had a good view of the beach.

After a short while, they saw three figures appear on the sand. Judging by their silhouettes, they knew it was the rest of their team. Naruto made a tiny sound that got their attention. As the three came closer, Sakura's heart began to pound faster.

"No time to waste," said Kakashi. "It appears that there's a lot more than we expected. We spotted a boat further up the shore. From the looks of it, there were a few shinobi aboard waiting for their comrades to return."

"I figured there was a boat, but I didn't realize it was so close. They must have been keeping me out of view until the rest of them returned."

"Can we take them?" asked Naruto.

"We can confiscate their boat, but that would signal to their comrades that we're on to them. If we don't however, we'll have to rely only on time to make our escape. At least with the boat we can have an advantage. Uh..." went on Kakashi. "Anyone here know how to sail a ship?"

"I do," said Sakura. "I learned quite a bit back at the fishing village."

"Ok, then we have our decision."

"Wait," said Ino. "What about making a break for Suna?"

"They have been kind enough to give us a heads-up. I'm afraid there are too many politics involved with our situation for them to intervene," said Kakashi. "We'll have to go it alone on this one, as usual."

As the party discussed their strategy, Itachi and Sakura were avoiding eye contact with eachother. They both seemed unsure of how to react to their reunion. However, this didn't last long as nobody had noticed a shinobi creeping up from behind.

"Did you get all the shinobi?" asked Naruto.

"Hai, six Cloud, four Mist," said Kakashi.

"Six?" said Sakura. "There were five..."

Kakashi looked at the others and they all had the same thought: _Hopefully there wasn't more._

"You're wrong," said a shinobi suddenly grabbing Sakura from behind. "There were eight."

"Don't even try it," the shinobi growled to them. Everyone was tense seeing the kunai he held to Sakura's belly. "I'll be taking my leave now..."

As the shinobi began skirting away with Sakura, suddenly he stopped, flinched and screamed in pain from the Sharingan, right before Itachi stepped forward and jammed a kunai in his throat. Wrapping his other arm around Sakura, Itachi pulled her away from the falling shinobi, and hugged her.

Sakura was silent. She didn't know what to say. Everything that had happened seemed to be washing away as she stood there in Itachi's arms. The others couldn't see his face, and they didn't dare try to shift to see it.

"Baka...." said Itachi, squeezing her tightly.

Sakura wanted to say sorry. She wanted to apologize for all of the troubles she had put him through, but in the end she couldn't muster the strength to even hug him back. Being so hurt, Sakura felt like maybe she couldn't even love him anymore.

"Let's go..." said Kakashi after a while. "We have to get on that boat before that other shinobi brings reinforcements."

* * *

Taking on the boat was a lot easier than they had expected. It seemed that the Mist shinobi were not expecting others to be tracking them so closely, and had let their guard down. After finishing off the last one of them, Sakura and Ino came aboard.

"There's not really a breeze tonight," said Kakashi. "We might get off to a slow start."

"Look!" said Ino all of a sudden.

Everyone ran to the Northern side of the ship. Up the coast, they could make out a ship sailing towards them, and fast.

Sakura started dishing commands, but even though all of their efforts were quick, that still didn't help with the wind not being strong.

"We're going to need more momentum if we don't want them to catch us!" yelled Sakura as she looked over her shoulder.

Suddenly the wind picked up in a whirlwind of fury, and filled the sails with a strong force. The boat immediately took off with such speed that deemed it unnatural.

"What the...." said Sakura, confused.

Turning around she and everyone else ran to the side of the boat to look towards the shore. There in the shade of the trees, just out of the moonlight's reach, stood a womanly figure.

"Hah!!" exclaimed Naruto, waving. "Arigatou!!!!"

They saw a giant fan brush out into the moonlight, and once again their sails were hit with a powerful wind. Temari had been sent by the Kazekage to watch over them. However, as she watched the boat sail away into darkness, Temari could go no further once they were out of the Wind Country's domains.


	9. Chapter 9

The sails were filled with a steady breeze as the ship sailed deep into the night. Sakura could hear the others snoring as she manned the helm. Looking around, she envisioned that she was protecting them with an invisible forcefield. They were so tired from lack of sleep when they pushed through the night, trying to catch up to her. The least she could do, was watch over them as they slept.

Sakura sighed. She still felt guilty even though no one was mad at her. Looking out to the sea, her throughts drifted like the waves that hit the ship's hull.

"Sakura," said Kisame, coming up from behind. "Let me take the helm, I think there's someone who wants to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk," said Sakura, slightly bitter. "What's to talk about?"

"Well, why don't you start with the fact that you're pregnant and that it's his child that you're carrying," said Kisame wisely.

Sakura pouted. She didn't like the way that one sounded.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not pregnant...."

"Liar."

Sakura looked up at Kisame with a frown. "What's it to you?"

"Sakura, I've never killed a pregnant woman before, but I'm tempted to try it," said Kisame looking back at her.

It was a loving bicker, for sure, but Sakura still didn't want to give into Kisame's suggestion.

"Hmph," said Sakura, turning away with a pouty look. "Why would I want to talk to someone who doesn't want to be with me?"

".... Because he DOES want to be with you...." said a voice right behind Sakura.

Sakura shivered. She knew it was Itachi.

_So, _thought Sakura, _he heard everything. GOOD._

Itachi grabbed Sakura's wrist and led her to the back of the boat. There, the sound of the water rushing from the back slightly muffled their voices from eavesdroppers, and was away from the others who slept at the front.

Itachi turned so that his height blocked her face from view. Kisame was a bit disappointed, but he did his best to listen in.

"What do you want?" snapped Sakura. "What is it that you only now want to be with me? Is this pregnancy the reason for your sudden change of heart? Am I just an obligation?"

Sakura was pissed. She always thought that a reunion would be full of tears, but it turned out to be a fight as she now truly spoke of how she felt these past weeks.

"I don't know why you came back, but you shouldn't have. If you felt so strongly about leaving, then you should have just stayed away."

Itachi's face was as it always was: placid and emotionless. He just stood there looking at her from just three feet away, unmoving and unseemingly angry.

"You were right...." said Sakura, crossing her arms. "It was better if you just left me alone in Konoha. I do regret leaving, but I just wish that the news of my being pregnant didn't get out, then you wouldn't have this obligation hanging over your head. You want to play with Akatsuki? Fine. Go play with Akatsuki, but just don't be like so many others: only staying with someone because of an obligation such as mine."

That pissed Itachi off, but he didn't show it. He knew that she had a right to be angry, so he didn't contend with the fact that he left. He did however, wish to contend with a slight misunderstanding.

"I didn't come back because of the pregnancy," said Itachi stoically. "I didn't even know you were pregnant until I made it to Tsunade's office. I didn't even know that you had left. Nobody told me anything."

Sakura was mad. She was too mad to really care about that. So what if he came back on his own, he still left her in the first place, and the heartbreak she had to endure was so much more than he had. It wasn't that she was comparing, but he had no idea to what degree she suffered.

"Just leave me alone..." said Sakura, uncrossing her arms and walking away.

Itachi wasn't good at handling verbal situations, so his reaction was quite brutal from an outsider's view. Grabbing Sakura, he pulled her in for a hug and muffled her shouts. Kisame started to try and stop Itachi, but he paused and let them work it out alone.

"Listen," said Itachi, now clearly angry. "I knew that coming to find you would get me into fights, but I knew that my biggest fight would be with you and not with other shinobi. I came to fight FOR you, Sakura."

"I know what I did was wrong, I understand that now. You're right. If I really did care, I wouldn't have left in the first place. If I wanted you so badly, I should have fought for my right to keep you, but, you see...." said Itachi, softening his voice and turning his grip into a caress as he felt her calm. "Everything I did, I did it for you, even with my heart breaking.... You, Sakura, are my life.... I've never handled a situation like this before. Please... don't hate me...."

Sakura felt her eyes well up with tears. All the pain and suffering that she endured suddenly washed over her like a wave. She felt lonely even now, even though she was in Itachi's arms again. Sakura couldn't take the pain of hating him and loving him at the same time, so she whacked him on the chest before falling into his arms in surrender.

"Gomen, Sakura, Gomen," Itachi whispered, weakening and dropping to his knees with her her.

Sakura kept crying. She was so hurt, and Itachi didn't know if he could ever fix it. She felt helpless and pitiful, but she just couldn't fight it anymore. It was like her spirit was sucked from her body, leaving her an empty shell. To her, Itachi almost seemed like a ghost.

"Sakura, please forgive me..." said Itachi, caressing her head. "Please.... I don't know how to make it up to you and I don't know if I ever could. Please, just don't give up on me, please..."

That was all Itachi could say. He sat there with her in his arms, feeling like he was behind a door that could only be opened from her side. All he could do now was try to coax her into opening it.

Sakura sat their with her face in her hands, leaning against Itachi. The smell of the ocean and the sweeping breeze surrounded them in what felt like fate. Itachi knew in his heart that this was the defining moment of his future, and it was either she keeps him or not. However, Itachi didn't believe in letting fate decide on something so important to him, so he chose to not even let her get to a conclusion. Closing his eyes, Itachi squeezed Sakura and held on to her to stop her from slipping away.

"Sakura...." said Itachi, keeping his eyes closed.

Sakura could feel him hold his breath.

"Sakura... I don't want you to think that the baby has anything to do with this, but I have a secret of my own.... Ever since that first time I left you back in Konoha, I have thought about this.... Sakura, I want you to be my wife. Please, marry me, Sakura, and I swear to you, I will never leave you again...."

Sakura stopped breathing. Her crying stopped too. She couldn't believe her ears. Sakura sat back and looked at Itachi, whose eyes remained closed. It seemed like he'd rather wait for the answer than to bear whatever expression she had on her face now.

Sakura's jaw had dropped. She didn't know what to say. Turning to the side, she saw that they had an audience.

Over at the helm, she saw that the rest of the team had gathered and was waiting for the turnout. Everyone looked as if they were on the brink of news, but Naruto looked disturbed.

"Naruto...." she whispered.

Naruto looked down and ran his fingers through his hair. He had been in love with her ever since they were kids. Even now, in Sakura's pregnancy, nobody wanted her more than he did. Looking back up, Naruto found that Sakura was staring straight at him, waiting.

Naruto made a stuttered sigh and began to tear. He knew exactly what she was saying to him. He knew that she would not answer Itachi unless she had Naruto's blessing, and he knew that he had to make that decision right then and there.

Naruto searched his heart. He had never given up on her, not through her crush on Sasuke and not even through her time with Itachi. All in all, everyone knew that out of everyone, Naruto deserved Sakura more than anyone else, but, love is never that easy. Naruto put his hand to his heart and closed his eyes. He searched deep into his heart to see if he could indeed, let Sakura go, but no matter how hard he wrestled with it, he just couldn't. However, as his thoughts ran into wall after wall, he suddenly remembered a wish that he had made.

_....I wish that Sakura-chan would always find happiness..._thought Naruto, opening his eyes.

Naruto knew that he could never let her go, but for his want of making her happy, he knew what he had to do. Looking over at Sakura, he mustered a smile and nodded.

Sakura looked back down at Itachi, who still kept his eyes closed. His face was still emotionless, but she could feel that his energy was nervous.

"Ok...." said Sakura. "I will marry you, Itachi...."


	10. Chapter 10

The sail creeked in the late hours of the evening, giving an eery feeling that disturbed Naruto who stood at the helm. They had been out to sea for about three days now, trying to get around to Konoha's eastern coast because the Mist shinobi were at their backs.

Naruto yawned and leaned on the helm. The boat had slowed to a crawl because of the lack of wind, and the rocking boat made him sleepy. They were lucky that the Mist shinobi kept the boat well stocked with food, especially since they took off so fast without thinking about these kinds of necessities.

Below the deck were the sleeping quarters, but feeling that Sakura and Itachi needed their privacy to patch things up, everyone else let them sleep there alone.

On the bed nearest the hatch, Sakura threaded her fingers through Itachi's as she lay with her eyes closed. Itachi, feeling that she wasn't close enough, pulled his hand away and instead wrapped it around her waist to pull her in close to rub his cheek against hers, then gave her a tiny kiss on the lips.

Sakura smiled in happiness. At last they both had an answer to their future, and it was that they would never be parted again.

"Stay here and rest," said Itachi. "I have to take over for Naruto."

Sakura suddenly clutched Itachi as if she were a leech.

"Mmmmm, not yet," moaned Sakura, throwing her leg over him.

Itachi brought his lips to hers and began to kiss her until her grip softened. Slowly, Itachi slipped away and stood up to put on his coat.

"Cheater..." said Sakura, peeking her eyes open at him.

"Hmph."

Itachi came up on deck and walked over to the helm.

"Yay...." said Naruto sleepily.

Itachi walked over to the helm and replaced Naruto. Looking out to sea, Itachi seemed uneasy. Mustering his strength, he spoke to Naruto.

"Arigatou, Naruto.... for your blessing," said Itachi.

Naruto stopped and was startled. It was the first time that Itachi had been so kind in words to him. Although his words were different however, it seemed that Itachi was uncomfortable speaking that way, as he did not look Naruto in the eye.

"Just take care of Sakura-chan, and I won't unleash the Kyuubi on you," joked Naruto. ".....Hmm? What is that?"

Itachi looked to the back of the boat where Naruto was looking. Out in the distance, he could see for a brief moment what looked like a ship.

"Kisame," said Itachi.

Kisame awoke with a start and yawned to come and see what Itachi wanted.

"What?" said Kisame, blinking the sleep from his eyes.

"We've got company," said Itachi pointing out to where he last saw the boat.

"Mmm? Alright, I'll check..."

Kisame made a clone which dove off the side of the boat. The sound of the splash awoke the rest of the crew.

"What's going on?" asked Kakashi as he came to their side.

"There's a boat about a mile off, though I'm not sure who it is..." said Itachi, staring out to sea.

"Well, if we can't see it now, then we'll have to just wait until we do," said Kakashi, checking along the horizon at all sides. "Ino, go and wake Sakura."

"Hai," said Ino as she walked downstairs.

"Sakura..." said Ino, stepping carefully down the stairs and into the dark. "Sakura, there's a ship in range. We're not sure who it is but you'd better wake up."

A movement in the dark told Ino where Sakura was, but as she approached her, something didn't feel right.

"Did you hear that?" asked Ino to Sakura.

"Mmm. It sounded like a crack."

"You'd better get up," said Ino, feeling more and more unsteady.

Sakura pulled the blanket off and grabbed Ino's hand to get up. However, just as she got on her two feet, they heard another big crack.

Suddenly the area of the hull right where Sakura was sleeping burst and the water came flooding in so fast that they didn't have time to react. The girls wrapped their arms around eachother to protect themselves from being injured and getting lost. Up on deck, the others heard the crack and felt the boat begin to sink.

"Sakura! Ino!" shouted Naruto as he ran to the hatch but it was too late, the water was now flooding out onto the deck.

"Kisame!" shouted Itachi, to which Kisame immediately dove off the side of the boat to look for them.

As he went under he found the side with the hole in the ship's hull. However, looking into the ship, he couldn't see anything, but suddenly he caught the smell of something in his gills: blood.

Turning around, Kisame saw a shinobi swimming away fast with Sakura, but she had a breathing device on her. Kisame didn't see Ino, but soon he found that she was directly below him, and being held down by two other shinobi who were trying to drown her. Kisame saw her kicking at the shinobi who held her, but soon her movements died and she passed out.

Seeing as Sakura was not in immediate danger, Kisame dove down and bit the neck of one of them quicker than he could react. Kicking the other one, Kisame ripped off his breathing mask and put it on Ino, but she wasn't taking it in.

_Shit, _thought Kisame, swimming with Ino as quick as he could back to the surface. Once he surfaced, he immediately began trying to rescucitate her. Ino coughed, and fell limp in his arms. He at least got her to breath again. Making hand signals, he made another clone to chase after Sakura.

"Where's Sakura!?!" shouted Naruto as Kisame climbed aboard with Ino under one of his arms.

"They're taking her to their ship, I've got a clone chasing her scent. She's bleeding," said Kisame.

Suddenly on all sides of the slowly sinking ship, shinobi burst forth and began their attack.

Throwing Ino over his shoulder, Kisame grabbed his sword and tore the flesh of one of them as they came down. Itachi's speed allowed him to take out three with kunai before they even touched the ground. Naruto and Kakashi were busy handling two each, but it seemed that more shinobi just kept coming.

"They're trying to keep us from following!" shouted Kakashi.

"Which way did they take her!?!" Itachi shouted to Kisame.

"East! Though I don't think you can find them!! They may have switched directions beneath the surface!"

Naruto grabbed one of the shinobi and threw him into one that Kisame was holding off. Itachi sent a giant fireball straight towards three more shinobi who had just jumped out of the water. The giant fireball lit the sky and illuminated their battle that seemed to have an endless supply of attackers.

When the Mist shinobi felt that they could no longer continue, they tried to retreat, but were killed off by Itachi and Kisame who would not let them escape. When the battle was over, everyone found that the boat was no longer sinking, but it could no longer be sailed as well. Walking over to the eastern side of the ship, they stared out over the ocean and waited for the clone to return to the ship.

About fifteen minutes passed and there was no sign of anything. Soon however, Kisame spoke.

"He's gone..." said Kisame, who sat with Ino in his lap. "They got him."

"Do you know where they are?" asked Kakashi.

"No, but I know where they're going. They'll be taking her back to Kirigakure, for sure. "

Naruto cringed. He didn't like the thought of that.

"Isn't that the village where Zabuza was from? The one that has you kill your comrade as part of training?" asked Naruto to Kakashi.

"Yes, but not since Zabuza..." said Kisame, sighing. "My home village: where the blood meets the sand more often than the rain. Let's hope we find her before she has that kid of yours, Itachi."

"What should we do now," said Naruto. "The boat's broken."

Kisame looked out to sea. After years of living in Kirigakure, he had become well acquainted with reading the weather.

"I'd say we can make a run for it," said Kisame. "We should be at most four miles from the southern peninsula of Tea Country. From there we can cross land and try to pick up a ship on the eastern coast. If we hurry, we might be able to cut them off before they reach Water Country. They'll probably want to take the swiftest route, so we can expect them to run between Fire Country and the islands skirting the other side. We'll have to be quick because I can't guarantee what will happen once she meets the Mizukage."

"We'll have to be more careful now," said Kakashi. "Now that Sakura is in the hands of a village other than Konoha, the other villages who are after her will be more apt to obtain her before she's within another's borders. If the other villages invade Kirigakure, it could launch a full scale war. We need to act fast in case they switch hands too."

Grabbing whatever they could carry, the team got ready to ditch the ship.

"Ano, Kisame," said Kakashi. "What about Ino?"

"It's ok, I can carry her," said Kisame, nonchalantly.

Kakashi gave him a suspicious look as Kisame held her with one arm as he put his sword on his back. Cradling her, Kisame grinned to Itachi.

"Let's go," said Itachi to the others.

With that, the team set off into the darkness, following the direction of the stars towards land.


	11. Chapter 11

Five days had passed aboard the ship that held Sakura. Lying at the bottom of the ship, Sakura had only a bed and blanket to comfort her.

"Kunoichi," said a shinobi on the other side of the prison bars that held her. "Time for some air."

Sakura stood up and followed the shinobi out. As he practically dragged her to the surface, Sakura tried to open her right eye as much as possible, which was swollen from having been hit. Her lips were swollen and cut, as well as her brow. She had fought every chance she had to escape the cruel bunch that now circumferenced her.

"Breathe, kunoichi," said the shinobi, shoving her.

Sakura looked back with a scowl. She was pissed out of her mind at him, but she was now too weak to fight back. Being pregnant and aboard a ship wasn't easy. The constant nausea and pain of her injuries combined with her lack of chakura made it incredibly hard for her not to just kill herself. It was like being a walking empty shell again, completely unbearable after her proposal from Itachi, but that's what kept her hanging on.

Looking out to the coastline, Sakura took a deep breath and shut her eyes. Sakura tried to feel Itachi's presence but could not. Either way, she knew that he was out there, and with the others, searching for her relentlessly.

Sakura was shoved from behind again.

"Alright, that's enough. Let's go," ordered the shinobi who watched her.

Sakura, stubborn as all hell, punched the shinobi in the gut when he least expected it, and pulled a kunai from his pocket to stab him with it. Another shinobi from behind wrestled the kunai out of Sakura's weak hands and slapped her across the face. Her face burned and tingled as she fell onto her hands and knees.

_At least they never hit my stomach..._ thought Sakura.

The shinobi who slapped her picked up the shinobi she hit and punched him in the face.

"Quit making things worse!" the shinobi yelled at him. "You're egging her on!!!"

With that, the shinobi kicked him in the gut before grabbing Sakura to return her himself. As he dragged her back below the deck, Sakura looked up at the shinobi who lay sprawled on the floor.

The shinobi scowled at her. It was like he had a personal vendetta against her. Sakura didn't know why, but she had a feeling that it had to do with Kisame's past.

* * *

More days passed and the sound of her team never came. Soon however, she heard the shinobi above scuffling in an apparent ambush. It didn't take long for them to succeed in the skirmish, being as they were out to sea and the Mist shinobi having an advantage with their water attacks. Sakura put her head back down and once again found herself without any hope of rescue.

_Itachi...._ thought Sakura as she rolled her face into the blanket.

"Kunoichi," said a voice from behind her. "Get up... we've arrived."

Sakura rolled over to get off the bed. She was quite thrilled with the thought of being back on steady ground. Putting on her shoes, Sakura stood up and straightened out her clothes. After the guard unlocked the gate, Sakura took a deep breath and prayed that things wouldn't take a turn for the worst.

Walking up on deck Sakura found that she was up a river. It was night and there were no torches lit. The trees hung over the water so far that it hid the ship from view.

Sakura blinked her eyes to try and see what her surroundings were like. The moonlight barely shown through the trees and offered little help to her and her captors. However, the Mist shinobi seemed to know the layout quite well as they moved with ease off the ship and into the surrounding woods.

_Still no lights.... Are they trying to hide me from their own shinobi?_ thought Sakura.

They walked for about ten minutes, and soon they came upon a cave that had bars sealing the entrance.

_Great, _thought Sakura. _Another dark hole to put me into...._

"Matte..." said a deep voice.

Sakura turned and saw the robes of the Mizukage come into view.

"That's no way to treat a pregnant woman.... Who did this to you?" asked the Mizukage when he caught sight of Sakura's black eye and swollen lip.

Sakura didn't hesitate to look directly at the shinobi who did it to her.

The Mizukage waved his hand and the shinobi was dragged away, to where, Sakura didn't want to know, nor did she care.

"Please, follow me..." said the Mizukage to Sakura.

As the Mizukage walked side by side with Sakura, he began to speak with her.

"You know, I do not want you to think that we are a village that you cannot love. I had heard you left Konoha, for why, no one really seems to know. I however, like a select few, believe you left because you carry a precious gift to the shinobi world. A gift, it seems, that you were intent on keeping a secret....

"When a shinobi leaves their village, they are seen as a traitor. I think you know that you can never go back.... What I'm offering, is the chance to start a new life among those who know and understand your feelings, as well as protection for you and your child. This is a tight-knit village that many call home, and from what I've heard, you, and not just the child, can be a great help to the people of Kirigakure... You studied under the Hokage, yes?"

Sakura nodded.

"I was told that you have an excellent talent as a medical nin. Our people could greatly benefit from your knowledge and tutelage.... I hope that you can find it in your heart to stay and build your family here...."

Sakura kept walking, but she walked slightly ahead of him and kept her blank expression facing forward. Sakura was no fool. It was obvious that the Mizukage was just trying to make the best of what she had to offer, and that what he meant was that she could either make it easy or hard for herself. If she refused, he definitely wouldn't just let her walk away.

_At this point I can't escape, that's for sure..._ thought Sakura. _All I can do now is be patient and wait for the others...._

"Well," said Sakura. "You leave me no choice.... I guess I'll just have to stay."

"Very good," said the Mizukage with a smile. "I'll make sure that your living quarters are prepared."

"Arigatou..." said Sakura, not smiling once.

Signaling the shinobi who followed at a comfortable distance, the Mizukage had them take her to a house that was situated deep into the forest and next to a stream.

"We have prepared this house for you," said the Mizukage. "We thought you might want your privacy, seeing as you are new to our village.... I will have someone properly welcome you to the village in the morning. Please, have some rest."

Sakura bowed to the Mizukage and opened the doors to her new "home." Taking a look around, she never felt more like an incubator than at this moment.

Sakura sat down to a meal that was already prepared for her. Scarfing it down incredibly fast, she then sought to ease her itching body as she hadn't taken a shower for several days. Walking around the house that had wall to wall shouji doors, she found the bedroom, as well as clothes set out for her, but there didn't seem to be a shower.

_They must not have a water system that comes out this far.... Probably didn't have time to go that far, anyway..._ thought Sakura, noticing the fresh smell of the wood. _I guess that's why they put it next to a stream..._

Sakura grabbed a towel that was laid next to a bucket filled with bottles of shampoo and a bar of soap. Opening the shouji doors ever so quietly, Sakura peeked outside and could feel that there were shinobi watching the house.

Sakura walked into the kitchen and grabbed a small knife. Sticking it in the bucket, she undressed and wrapped a towel around herself. She then proceeded to fling the shouji doors wide open, and walked out onto the porch with a stubborn strut. Going down the front steps, she made her way to the side of the stream that was dammed with river stones to create a nice pool.

Sakura dropped her bucket and putting one hand on her hip, she used the other to point into the trees surrounding her.

"All you shinobi who are out there better disappear or I'm going to beat the living shit out of all of you!!!" she bellowed into the night.

There was no sound, not even a cricket.

"You think I'm kidding!?! You think I don't know you're out there!?! If I don't hear any footsteps retreating, you'd better pray I don't find you!!!"

Sakura glared into the trees around her, she knew they were still listening.

_Fine...._ thought Sakura. _Have it your way...._

Kneeling beside the bucket, Sakura pulled out the knife. Lifting it high into the air, she made to kill herself.

Suddenly out of the trees, four shinobi jumped forth to stop her, but as soon as they came within range, Sakura jumped up to give them punches that they'd never forget.

_"SKEBE!!!!!!!!"_ Sakura screamed as she blasted one shinobi across the stream and through a tree. The others she sent flying into the river, smacking boulders as they went.

A clap arose from the trees before her, and soon the Mizukage walked out.

"Wonderful..." said the Mizukage. "Truly, you are the student of the Slug Woman. I'm impressed."

"Tell your henchmen to piss off!" shouted Sakura to him. "That means you too!"

"Hmph..." said the Mizukage, smiling. "Azumi!"

Suddenly a female shinobi appeared beside him.

"Guard her when she bathes. You boys should keep a safe distance until she calls you back," said the Mizukage turning and walking away. "....I wouldn't recommend peeking!"


	12. Chapter 12

In the darkness of the early morning hours, a small boat landed softly on the western side of Water Country's main island. A dark figure got out and silently tied the boat to a rock. The boat beat deep tones as it struck the shallow reef, but not enough to alarm anyone. Out of the ship emerged four other figures: three male and one obviously female.

Stepping out onto the sand, they all made for the cover of the trees, crouching at the forest's edge to look back out and see if anyone had noticed them.

"The boat might be spotted," said Naruto.

Kakashi then conducted a genjuitsu to conceal its presence. Being that it was so small, he was able to do it with ease.

"Alright," whispered Kakashi. "A plan of action?"

"Konoha must not be spotted," said Itachi, looking at the symbols that they bore. "Kisame and I must do this alone."

"What's your plan?" asked Kakashi.

"Bargaining chip," said Kisame, pointing to himself.

"You're crazy!" Naruto whisper-shouted.

"Heh, I must be, for coming back here...."

"How are you going to make the deal?" asked Kakashi.

"The best way us traitors know how," said Kisame, backing away from them to stand behind a tree on the very edge of the shore. "Just a little while more.... ah, there..."

The others turned to see two shinobi patrolling the shore. When they came upon the genjuitsu, they stopped.

"Did you feel that?" asked the first shinobi.

"Hai..." said the second.

The two shinobi approached the area where the boat was. Obviously they had quite some skill to detect it.

Kisame moved silently out of the trees and across the sand. He then blasted the two shinobi from behind and pinned them to the ground with his sword. Smashing their faces so that they couldn't see who he was.

Kakashi, Naruto, and Ino watched as Kisame's sword ate their chakura. When the two passed out from exhaustion, Kisame gave the signal to the others to help him carry them.

Dragging their bodies into the trees, Kisame began to explain his plan.

"Alright, Ino, the first shinobi who wakes up I want you to take over his mind. You're going to be the messenger, just in another body," explained Kisame. "You will escort the other one back with you, but you are not to reveal yourself until you reach the Mizukage, otherwise he'll send the guards out looking for him and cause us more trouble. Tell him the exchange will take place tonight, nine o'clock, the _eastern_ shore."

"Wait, why doesn't she just infiltrate and look for Sakura?" asked Naruto.

"This island's too big. Most likely, the Mizukage has her hidden from view, but I just need to buy us a little time. These are mere patrolmen. They wouldn't have access to the area where she is. Plus, I don't think Ino can hold him that long," answered Kisame. "So, you ready?"

Ino nodded. "If I really try, I can get at most, fifteen minutes. There's no guarantee."

"Then make it quick."

As the light of the sun began to appear on the horizon, the first shinobi stirred, and Ino, hiding behind the trees so that he wouldn't see her, took over his mind as soon as he opened his eyes. As soon as Ino's spirit left, Kisame caught her body and cradled her.

"Oooowww... What a headache!" said Ino from the shinobi's body. "I feel so weak now, too!"

"Good," said Kisame. "Now wake the other one and be on your way."

Ino got up to stretch, but when she finished, she looked over to Kisame who was grinning from ear to ear.

"What?" asked Ino.

Ino finally caught on to what he was smiling about. Looking over to her body that lay in his arms, she noticed that his hand was on her breast. Ino gasped.

"SUKEBE!!!" she yelled, going over and punching him square in the face.

Kisame just laughed, taking a few steps back.

"Ah! Gomen! Gomen!" he joked. "I won't do it again, now hurry up and get going!"

"You'd better not do anything funny or I'm going to kill you while you sleep!"

Kisame giggled. Bringing her body's face up to his, he stroked his cheek against hers.

"Kawaii!!!" he cooed.

Ino couldn't take it and began whacking him just like a girl would. Kakashi and Naruto stood there with their jaws dropped. It was so awkward to see a man whack someone like a young girl. Itachi looked irritated.

"Move," commanded Itachi.

Ino scowled at Kisame and went over to kick the other shinobi that lay passed out.

"Get up!" she scolded.

"Ino! Try not to act like a girl!" whispered Naruto as they all hid behind some bushes.

Ino scowled at him in return, to which Naruto felt like he was going to die from the look alone.

Ino reached down and shook the shinobi until he awoke. After giving a fake story, Ino convinced him that they needed to report to the Mizukage immediately.

As the two shinobi took off, the others could only look on and hope for the best.

* * *

"Mizukage-sama!!!" yelled the shinobi who accompanied Ino, as he burst through the office door. "We have intruders!"

_THUMP!!!_

Ino whacked the back of the shinobi's neck, causing him to pass out. She was startled at how much physical strength she had in this new body.

"Mizukage," began Ino to the Mizukage and his guards. "I am here to bring a message. We want an exchange for the prisoner."

"Oh..." said the Mizukage, resting his chin on his hands. "...and which prisoner do you speak of?"

"Sakura...."

"Sakura?... Which Sakura do you mean?"

"The pregnant one..."

The Mizukage paused. He did not expect something to happen within his own village.

"So, tell me where you're from?" asked the Mizukage.

"First, I'll tell you the exchange, then you can figure it out on your own..."

"So, who do you have that I would want to exchange someone as valuable as her?"

"Hoshigaki.... Kisame...."

The shinobi standing behind the Mizukage gasped. Judging by the look of things, Ino could tell that there was a lot of pent up hostility towards their former comrade.

"A reasonable offer..." said the Mizukage. "....Who wishes to make this exchange?"

"Uchiha Itachi," said Ino, feeling her juitsu's hold begin to waver dramatically.

"So, the father has betrayed his partner in order to save his lover and child... How ironic..."

"Do it, or he will destroy you..."

The Mizukage didn't have to look at his comrades. He could feel their energy pressing down on him to make the switch. To them, Sakura's child meant nothing compared to the shinobis whose blood still burned for veangence. The Mizukage knew that he might jeopardize his position if he refused, being that the shinobi may act irrationally and cause a split between those who want Kisame, and those who would try to abide by his orders. There was only one choice: accept, and then recapture Sakura. This option however, Kisame knew would have to happen, giving him insight into the situation.

"I accept," said the Mizukage, ever so perturbed. "Where and when?"

"Nine o'clock tonight... the eastern shore. No one else but you can make the switch. If Itachi sees anyone else, he'll kill the prisoner and you as well..."

"Deal..."

With that, Ino finally released her juitsu to which her soul slowly flittered through the village, through the woods, and back to where her body lay waiting.

When she finally stirred, she opened her eyes to find Kisame's nose tip-to-tip with hers.

"Sukebe!" she squealed, slapping him across the face and jumping out of his lap.

"I didn't do anything, I swear!" chuckled Kisame. "So? Do we have a deal?"

"Yes... Tonight the Mizukage will bring Sakura, and Itachi will make the switch. I suggest you start taking my hits, otherwise the Mizukage will know it's a bluff!" said Ino, punching his shoulder.

"Ow! OW!" he laughed. "Easy!!"

"Wait... Where are we?" said Ino, noticing that they were back on the boat.

"We are now sailing to the north-western side of the island," said Kisame.

"What? What about the exchange?"

"It's a distraction. It will be easier to take the shinobi protecting her currently, rather than fight with the Mizukage.... you know the Mizukage isn't the Mizukage for nothing, right?" said Kisame, looking at her stupidly.

"Of course I do! But could you please fill me in on what's _really_ going on!"

Kisame sighed and stood up so that he towered over Ino.

"The Mizukage would never give up something he worked so hard to get, let alone the next Uchiha.... He's going to bring a replacement, and now that he knows it's me who he's dealing with, he'll definitely bring reinforcements. My guess is he'll have Sakura on hand though just in case, but he most likely won't move her until the cover of darkness, which gives us oh, say, four and a half hours to get her and make our escape."

"So, what about Sakura? How are we going to find her?" asked Naruto.

"There's a small inlet where you can take a ship up the river. It leads straight to a cave where the Hokage keeps prisoners that he doesn't want to be seen.... If there's any place he'd have taken her, it's there," explained Kisame.

"Why wouldn't he want her to be seen?"

"Probably because of the delicate situation she brings with her. If another village ever asked, not like they would, but if they infiltrated and tried to look for her, her presence could always be denied..."

Kisame looked at Ino with romantic eyes and said, "don't worry Ino... I will protect you..."

With that, Kisame quickly grabbed Ino around the waist and picked her up to hug her.

"What the fuck!!!" shouted Ino, holding her face away from his.

Kisame put her down and grinned. Turning away, he left a blushing Ino embarassed in front of the others.

"I bet nobody ever did that to you before..." said Kisame, waving his hand back at her.

Ino blushed an even deeper crimson red. What he said was true, because nobody ever dared to.

* * *

It was now late into the morning and Sakura lay sitting on a rock beside the stream. The summer's touch had finally kicked in, and it was an awful time to be pregnant in this humidity. Wearing a soft kimono, Sakura enjoyed the open air and the smell and sound of the trees that the breeze brought to her. Even though she was in captivity, the guards didn't torture her and let her be. Every now and then, she would see a shinobi sitting lazily on a branch, watching her with bored envy as she leisurely strolled about. They even let her walk as far as the ocean nearby, probably because even pregnant women need exercise.

Sakura lay her hands upon her belly. It had grown tremendously in such a short time. Counting to herself, she figured she must be around four and a half months pregnant now. Stroking the bottom of the bump, Sakura felt special, like she was growing something precious that needed constant love and care. Smiling, Sakura wiggled her toes with glee in the water that streamed by.

After adjusting her feet to the temperature of the water, Sakura slipped into the pool to cool off. Catching her kimono and holding it down, she opened her eyes beneath the pool. Everything below the surface had a calming noise. The surface glowed with shadows and light as the current swirled around her. Blinking, she let her body fall limply into the streams embrace, and began to think about what her baby would be like.

_.... Maybe it will be a girl...._thought Sakura. _....Itachi is strong, but my stubborness has to be passed on to another female...._

Turning her palms downward, Sakura clutched the smooth river stones that felt mossy and cold. Holding herself in place so that she wouldn't float into the dam, Sakura opened her eyes to take in the light, but before she could, she felt a shadow pass over her. Thinking it was a cloud, Sakura opened her eyes to something disturbing.

A crimson shade passed through the water above her.

_.... Blood.... _thought Sakura, becoming completely alert. _....Do they know I'm here...._

Sakura turned herself over and crawling along the streambed, came up between some rocks. Silently she took a breath and scanned the treeline around her.

Three of the shinobi she knew were there now lay dead on the ground. Hearing the sound of furniture being overturned, Sakura peeked over to the house. There on the porch she saw three shinobi, and on her knees in between them was Azumi, the kunoichi who watched over her.

"Where is she?" sneered the shinobi, punching Azumi in the jaw.

Azumi's head flung sideways. Looking back up, she spit a tooth out at him.

Sakura couldn't make out the symbol on their forehead protectors, but she knew that it had to be either Rain or Cloud shinobi.

The shinobi who punched Azumi grabbed her collar and began yelling in her face. Azumi looked out towards Sakura, with sympathetic eyes that told her to run. When Azumi would not answer the shinobi again, he pulled out a kunai and jammed it into her stomach.

"Let's go..." said the shinobi. "This was a decoy..."

As soon as the three of them disappeared, Sakura silently climbed out and ran over to Azumi who lay dying. Running chakura through her hand, Sakura prepared to pull the kunai out of her stomach.

"Don't...." whispered Azumi. "It's too late for that..."

Sakura looked around in desperation and grabbed a towel to put it under Azumi's head for comfort.

"It was a mistake, bringing you here..." rasped Azumi. "You need to leave for both our sakes..."

Sakura began to tear. She didn't want people to fight over something like this. However, Sakura understood that one of the ways a village survived in the shinobi world was to always have the upperhand, and that included having shinobi whose Kekkai Genkai, or bloodline limit, provided that extra power.

"Give it a good name..." said Azumi, looking sadly at Sakura's belly. "Teach it the better side of the shinobi world, in fact, maybe you shouldn't teach it this life at all.... I always wanted children...."

Sakura's eyes burst with tears as she watched Azumi slip away. What a terrible thing it was to go through life risking death. It was even worse to think that people brought their children up this way. Sakura didn't know what kind of hard life Azumi had in Kirigakure, but she knew that her life in Konoha was much better. Still, the pitfalls of being a shinobi existed for everyone who chose that life, and no one knew that better than the person who survived another shinobi's death.

Wiping away her tears, Sakura forced herself to get up. Going into the house, Sakura rushed around to change her clothes. Her shinobi outfit no longer fit her, so she put on pants and a long-sleeved top that wrapped like a kimono. Packing her shinobi outfit and some clothes into a bag, Sakura slung it over her shoulder and put on her boots.

Sakura went back outside and began removing the weapons that Azumi had on her. She didn't look at her face as she did not want to see the disappointed look that was left as Azumi's last expression. Folding Azumi's hands nicely on her chest, Sakura put her hands together and said a tiny prayer. As soon as she was finished, she immediately stood up and ran to the other side of the house and into the woods.

Sakura moved silently and quickly between the trees for several minutes, knowing that her best bet would be to make it to the beach.

_.... If I leave then Itachi will not know where to look for me, but if I stay, I'll either be recaptured by the Mist or taken to Kumogakure,_ thought Sakura as she ran.

Coming to a hault, Sakura ducked behind some bushes thinking she heard something. Looking through the trees, she could hear shinobi searching for her. How long it would take them to find her she didn't know, but it was coming, and she could feel its approach.

* * *

It was mid-afternoon when the group came upon the inlet. Parking the boat behind some rocks, they walked the rest of the way to shore so that they could make a quick getaway.

The team followed the river until they reached a bend where the trees hung low. Slipping behind some bushes, they peered at the ship that had held Sakura.

Nobody said a word. From the shadows of the forest, they crept about to check the ship out. Nobody seemed to be guarding it, probably because the Water Country was the hardest to attack. With its location being far away from the mainland, it would be tough for any other village to make an offense, being that they would need a fleet. This area was well dominated by Kirigakure alone.

"Let's make this easier..." said Kakashi to the others, summoning Pakkun.

"Pakkun, find Sakura and report back," commanded Kakashi.

"Hai!"

The team couldn't do anything except wait, so they stopped to rest in the protection of the trees. Sitting with their backs to the trunks, the shinobi let their legs loosen and their minds relax. As the wind blew a soft and fragrant breeze, they shut their eyes and took the opportunity to let their thoughts wander elsewhere. After a while however, Naruto became restless.

"So... when we get Sakura back, what will you do about Akatsuki?" asked Naruto.

Itachi and Kisame looked at eachother. Kisame then looked away to let him answer the question.

"Let me worry about Akatsuki," said Itachi.

"Where will you take her?" asked Ino, sadly.

"Away..." answered Itachi.

Ino looked over at Naruto whose eyes seemed glassy. She could tell that it still hurt him very much.

An awkward silence passed between the group. The thought of Sakura being taken away bothered them, because somehow the village just didn't feel the same without her. As they all tried to imagine life without Sakura, ten minutes had passed.

"Kakashi," said Pakkun when he finally appeared. "She's being held a bit away from here. I followed her scent to a cave, but then it went on to a house in the distance.... Kakashi... the guards who were watching the house have been slain. I didn't want to investigate further without letting you know."

"We'll follow you, lead the way...." said Kakashi, glancing at the others with a cautionary look.

The team made their way silently through the forest and over to the house that Pakkun spoke of. Pakkun smelt the air and listened for any movement.

"It's clear..." said Pakkun after a minute.

Not wanting to chance being spotted, Itachi signaled to the others to remain as he and Kisame walked by the corpses of the slain shinobi. As they studied the deaths of the fallen, they made their way over to the house to investigate the last one.

Kisame and Itachi squatted near Azumi's body and looked at the way her hands were placed.

"Certainly not done by the attackers, and definitely not the Mist shinobi, otherwise they would have picked them up...." said Kisame.

Itachi stood up and went inside the house. The furniture was overturned and the clothes were strewn about. Picking up one of the items, he smelt the fabric.

"Sakura...." he whispered. "Pakkun!"

Pakkun came over to Itachi.

"Follow her scent, starting from where the girl is..."

Pakkun went over and sniffed the ground. Nodding to Itachi, he indicated to him to follow. As they made their way around to the backside of the house, Itachi signaled to Kakashi that they were moving.

"Alright guys, let's go..." said Kakashi. "Ah? Ino...."

"Hmmm?"

"Where's Naruto???"

* * *

Sakura was confused as to what she should do. She couldn't stay, but if she left then Itachi's search would have been in vain. However, as she waited there being as quiet and still as possible, her decision was about to be made for her.

"Sakura.... chan," said a creepy voice from behind her.

Sakura froze. As chills ran down her spine, Sakura knew she couldn't escape. Still, she should at least try.

Sakura leapt up and dashed through the trees, desperate to get away. As she ran through the brush, the branches and bushes scratched her arms as she carved a solid path. As soon as she saw the beach ahead, she hastened towards it with her eyes flashing from left to right, trying to see the oncoming attack. Sakura's pregnancy made her slow, and she knew she wasn't going to make it. Rushing out onto the beach, Sakura was blinded for a brief second by the sun's harsh rays, but kept running until her eyes adjusted.

As she turned to run down the beach, Sakura skidded to a stop. Blocking her path to the south were shinobi of Kirigakure. Pulling out a kunai, Sakura looked as if she knew it was a losing battle, but that she would fight nevertheless. Huffing and puffing from her recent sprint, Sakura wiped the sweat from her brow and looked back north. What she saw was shocking.

Blocking her path to the north were the shinobi of Kumogakure. They had brought a huge amount of shinobi, and it seemed as if they didn't care that their presence be known. Sakura looked back and forth between the two. She didn't know how this was going to play out, but all she knew was that it was hot and the sand was in her boots. The grungy feeling of being a pregnant sweaty woman was bothering Sakura more than her current situation.

Sakura just stood there waiting for something to happen, but it was not long before the Mizukage came forth.

"So... Kumogakure.... It seems that your capacity for holding political balances still evades you. May I ask what it is that has brought you to the shores of Mist Country?"

An older but strong looking shinobi stepped forth. The scars on his face spoke of his experience in the battlefield, and the way the others looked to him showed that he commanded great respect.

"What we want is the girl and her child. Nothing more," answered the shinobi.

_.... So,_thought Sakura._It seems that the Raikage must have figured that the Mizukage would not start a war over something so trivial. Gutsy move...._

Sakura pulled out a second kunai and stood so that her back was to the ocean, both kunai pointing at each side. Her breathing was slowly beginning to calm as her hair fell in front of her eyes, slightly hiding the angry expression she was now making.

"What makes you think I'm going anywhere with either of you!?!" Sakura yelled at the two groups. "What the FUCK do you think I am!?! Listen up! I'm warning you right now! You come near me and I'm going to fucking slice the flesh off your bones...."

Sakura looked up and stared towards the shinobi of Kumogakure. Suddenly from the trees a sharp figure slid out onto the sand and stood blocking Kirigakure's path to Sakura.

"She means it..." said Naruto, glaring at the shinobi. His sudden appearence startling them all.

"So, Konoha has come to join the fight too, huh?" said the Mizukage. "Interesting."

"She's mine," said Naruto to the Mizukage.

"And who are you?"

"I'm the next Hokage.... Uzumaki Naruto!!!"

A shinobi from Kumogakure's side laughed, immediately pissing Sakura off, so she flung the kunai she was holding directly at him. He caught on at the last second and dodged, but not before it sliced deeply into his cheek.

Suddenly the two young shinobi who stood in the midst of the oncoming battle didn't seem so novice. Naruto's glare coupled with Sakura's ferocity made it seem as if the threat were upon them.

"Where's the others?" asked Sakura.

"I left them behind. I don't know how, but somehow I sensed you were in danger..." grinned Naruto, not taking his eyes off of their enemies.

Sakura chuckled. "Cocky bastard..."

"You ready?"

"Hai."

Naruto dropped pellets that exploded into a giant cloud of smoke. As the shinobi from both sides didn't want to make the first move, they waited to see what would happen next.

Suddenly two ravines sliced between the two shinobi parties, cutting a line directly down the middle, undoubtedly Sakura's astonishing move. Out of the smoke burst forth Naruto with Sakura on his back, dashing straight through the sand opening in between the Cloud shinobi. Behind them, about thirty pairs of Narutos with Sakuras on their backs rushed out in all directions.

As Naruto dashed along through the opening, he did not look to the sides where the stunned shinobi watched him and the other clones pass, but rather kept his eye at the end of the ravine that was still cutting a path through the earth. As soon as he came to the end, he leapt out and made for the wet area that lay between the ocean and dry sand so that he could pick up his speed. At this point, all they could do was run.

"Where are we going!?!" shouted Sakura, looking back at the shinobi scattering to chase the clones as well as them.

"If Kumogakure was on this side, then that means their ships are too! Not to mention they'd have to sail north to get back home!" shouted Naruto as he knuckled down into his running.

"What about the others!?!"

"My clones will find them and let them know!"

A shinobi jumped at Sakura's back. Sakura pulled out a shuriken and shot it at him, getting him right in the throat. About three more showed up, but they dodged her attacks.

"I'm out!" shouted Sakura.

"I have in my pouch!" shouted Naruto.

Sakura cringed. The thought of reaching near Naruto's rear, his weapon of choice in some instances, was a bit nauseating. Sakura bit her lip and reached into his pocket, hearing Naruto giggle as she did so. Grossed out, Sakura threw two shuriken and took one of the shinobi out.

Sakura was chucking shuriken at the two shinobi left but found it difficult while bouncing on Naruto's back. Finally catching another one, Sakura and Naruto rounded a bend with the last shinobi in tow.

"Last one, Naruto!" shouted Sakura.

Naruto turned and skidded backwards, giving Sakura the perfect shot to take out the last shinobi. As he fell to the ground, Naruto then made for the woods.

Running along the treeline, Naruto and Sakura kept an eye out for the ships.

"It has to be here somewhere!" said Naruto as he picked up the pace.

"What if the others don't catch up in time?" asked Sakura.

"They'll catch up!..... There!" said Naruto, spotting the five huge ships in the distance. "All this for an Uchiha!?! I don't even get this kind of attention!!!"

As Naruto and Sakura came closer, Naruto put Sakura down and together they made their way closer to the ships.

"We can't go back south to our boat. This is our only chance...." said Naruto, eyeing out the crew.

"We can't make it if they've all got a ship to follow the one we're in," said Sakura. "We'll have to put a hole in the others so that they don't suspect its sinking, and so it'll slow the ship down enough for us to get away.

"Good idea...." said a voice from behind.

Naruto and Sakura jumped. Turning around, Sakura found a kunai against her belly. At the other end of the kunai was the older shinobi who commanded the Cloud group.

"Well done, but it's over now... My name is Yoshii. I'm sorry that it has to be this way, but you are needed by the Kumogakure. Please, follow me...."

Naruto looked at Sakura who in turn looked defiant. However, Naruto could not put Sakura and the baby in harm's way, so he didn't fight it.

"Good..." said the shinobi. "Now, be smart and walk away...."

"Wait..." said Sakura, pulling out her own kunai. "I'm not going anywhere without him..."

The shinobi looked at Sakura, who in turn gave this look like she would cause harm to herself if he didn't comply. He knew that she meant it. So, the shinobi sighed and reluctantly obliged.

"You may accompany her, Uzumaki Naruto, but do not interfere...."

Sakura was greatful even though she was now being taken as a prisoner. Having someone with her gave her a better chance of escaping.

The shinobi walked Sakura over to the ship with Naruto in front. Looking back, Naruto desperately searched the treeline to see if Kakashi and the others had shown up. However, as he made his way onto the ship and felt it pick up speed, Naruto's hope died as he saw the rest of the Cloud shinobi board the ships and pick up their anchors. As Naruto watched the island grow smaller, he felt a hand grab his.

Naruto looked down and saw Sakura's tiny hand in his, squeezing slightly hard. Naruto looked into Sakura's eyes and could see that she was scared. With the way things were going, there was no telling where Sakura would have her baby, and even worse, she might have it without Itachi present. Naruto hugged Sakura to him.

"Don't worry Sakura, I'll think of something."

* * *

As the sun was setting on the horizon, Naruto and Sakura stared back towards the island that was now fading from their view. It had been an hour since they had set sail, and the two of them stood at the back of the boat, waiting for a sign of their comrades.

"LET ME GO!!!" came a familiar voice, shouting at a fearsome group of shinobi as they pulled her on deck.

"Ino!!!" shouted Sakura.

One of the shinobi kicked Ino whose hands were bound behind her back so that she flung straight into Sakura's arms.

"Where's the rest!?!" asked Naruto.

"We got separated! We were walking through the woods and then suddenly it was as if we were in the middle of a war!!!" yelled Ino. "Where the hell have you been!?!"

"I had to save Sakura...." said Naruto, trying to make an excuse but obviously knowing that it was a bad move on his part.

"So," said Yoshii. "We have one pregnant shinobi and two excess baggage."

_POW!!!_

Yoshii punched Naruto right in the face so that he fell to the floor. Grabbing his collar, Yoshii dragged Naruto to the edge of the ship. Picking him up, he threw Naruto overboard as Sakura and Ino were held back by the others.

"You son of a bitch!!!" screamed Sakura, kicking and screaming at him.

As the boat moved further away, Sakura soon saw Naruto's blonde head popping out of the water. He gave a wave to her to let her know he was ok, and she knew that it was best because he could now alert the others to their destination.

"Don't worry Sakura!!!!!!!" she could hear him scream. "I'll think of something!!!!!!"


	13. Chapter 13

Naruto dove beneath the surface to avoid the ships that followed in Sakura's wake. When he finally resurfaced, he watched the boats sail off into the distance as the sun finally set below the horizon.

Naruto looked around. He could just barely make out Mist Country in the distance, but it was getting fainter by the minute.

_...Shit... _thought Naruto._ ...I have at best, ten minutes before I'm really in trouble..._

Naruto ran chakura through his hands and pulled himself up and out of the water. Shivering in the cold wind, he began to run back towards the island as it was the closest piece of land that he could identify, not to mention the others were probably in trouble.

As the sun's last rays turned the rim of the earth to an orange tinge, Naruto looked up to see if he could make a pattern out in the stars so that he wouldn't lose his way in darkness. Catching a glimpse of a familiar constellation, Naruto gritted his teeth and pressed on.

About fifteen minutes had passed and it was getting to be more difficult as it seemed the currents were changing, turning the once rolling swells into choppy peaks. Naruto tripped and fell, the waves tossing him up and down as he tried to stay on the surface. Getting back up, he began to take his steps in leaps and bounds to avoid tripping again.

Naruto's heart began to panic. He thought that he would've at least made it halfway by now, but looking up, he discovered that the current had shifted his path as the constellation that he had aligned himself with now seemed more west from where it originally was. Naruto rushed to correct his mistake, his legs beginning to sear with the pain of exhaustion. He was not fully recovered from their long haul to catch up with Sakura, and it seemed that the piggy-back ride he gave her made it even worse.

Naruto tripped again, but this time, he actually fell face forward and plunged his head beneath the surface so that when he pulled it back, water went up his nose. Hacking and blowing his nose this way and that, Naruto began to feel even more drained.

_I have to keep moving!_

Looking up again towards sky, Naruto ripped his eyes back down to focus on the task at hand. However, as the waves picked up in their pace, he began to realize that he may not make it to shore.

Naruto frowned in thought. He had to do something or he just might end up drowning. Catching onto an idea, Naruto dug in his pocket for a kunai attached to an explosive note. Holding the kunai in his hand, Naruto let the note flap in the breeze, letting it dry before he risked losing it if it didn't go off.

_Here goes!_thought Naruto as he chucked it as high as he could into the air.

_BOOM!!!!_

The sudden burst of a fiery flame exploded and leveled the waves around him with its shock and power. Naruto hoped that if anyone was out there, they'd be kind enough to pick him up. At this point, he didn't care if it was friend or foe.

* * *

_Naruto...._thought Kakashi as he stared across the water at the sudden explosion. For a brief moment, he though he caught a glimpse of a blonde dot beneath it.

"Everyone and their mother saw that one..." said Kisame as he steered the boat towards the blast. "Let's just hope we reach Naruto, or Ino if it's her before they do, otherwise we're going to get side-tracked with another rescue mission...."

"Look!" said Itachi, catching a brief glimpse of what he thought was a light off the port bow.

As the others scanned the darkness, they too spotted a tiny light that suddenly flickered out of nowhere.

"Those cruise ships are looking for survivors," said Kisame. "We're too close. If we snatch him, they'll see us."

"Then I'll get him," said Itachi, suddenly leaping over the side of the boat and making straight for where they saw the explosion.

As he rushed over towards the spot, Itachi caught the sense that there were others with the same idea. Activating the sharingan, Itachi prepared for battle as he came closer and closer to his target.

* * *

Naruto slowed to a walk, he couldn't leap anymore. Exhausted, Naruto's steps criss-crossed as he attempted to keep going. A sudden rush of wind however, made him alert.

_Something's not right_... thought Naruto, looking in all directions.

Out of the darkness came a shinobi wrapped in black. Suddenly Naruto was stunned as thousands of wire strands wrapped around him before being yanked so that he plunged beneath the water. Wriggling with all of his might, he struggled to free himself from these bonds.

Opening his eyes Naruto found that the water below the surface was more scary than anything above it. He didn't realize it, but apparently the channel that ran between Mist Country and the mainland was quit infested with sharks.

_Bump._

Naruto felt like what had to have been the nose of a shark, bumping into his back to find out what he was. Naruto screamed under water. The thought of being in the ocean surrounded by sharks drove him insane. Kicking and swishing back and forth, the struggle attracted the sharks more as they took him for a wounded seal pup. Before they could find out just what he was however, Naruto felt a strong hand grip his jacket and yank him out of the water, his bounds being sliced as he came back down.

Naruto had shivers running up and down his spine. The nervousness made him want to beat himself senseless. Turning to see his savior, he spotted Itachi's cloak and found that they were surrounded by at least ten shinobi.

"You good?" asked Itachi.

_"Mm!" _nodded Naruto as he tried to shake the goosebumps off.

Pulling out a kunai, Naruto immediately plunged himself into battle so that he could be brought beaten back from his nightmare. His nervousness proved to be helpful, as he put all rationality aside once again and beat the living daylights out of any shinobi who got near him.

Itachi was cool and calm. He didn't use any fire juitsus as he didn't want to give off their location again. Grabbing a shinobi around the neck, he threw him into another before coming both with kunai to their guts.

Naruto stopped and watched the shinobi sink beneath the surface. A sudden thrashing from behind him told them that the sharks were having their evening meal.

"ACK!" yelled Naruto, jumping onto Itachi's back. _"LET'S GO!!!"_

Rather than wait for more shinobi to show up, Itachi bounded back towards the boat with Naruto clutching his back like a scared squirrel. As Naruto looked back, he saw the black humps of the dead shinobi that stood out in the moonlit ocean disappear beneath the waves, and he wondered if the other shinobi would know what became of those men. Naruto felt sympathetic, but such was a the life of shinobi.

When Itachi reached the boat he threw Naruto on the deck before jumping in himself. Looking back out, Itachi tried to spot any other potential threats following them.

"Where's the ship now?" asked Itachi.

"Slowly making its way towards where you were. We've got about five minutes before they start wondering what's happened," said Kakashi.

Turning their boat towards the direction where the other ship was coming from, Kisame made to pass behind the ship to avoid detection. As they sailed silently through the night, somehow they made it further out to sea and away from any prying eyes.

"Naruto, what the fuck were you doing!?!" shouted Kisame, slapping him across the head. "We lost Ino and now everything's a fucking mess!"

Kisame continued on by kicking at Naruto as he held the helm.

"AH! Gomen! Gomen! I left because I felt Sakura was in trouble.... and she was..." said Naruto, rubbing his head.

"You saw her? Where is she?" asked Kakashi.

"Well, when I found her she was smack in the middle of a potential battle between Mist and Cloud when I showed up. I take it you got my message..." said Naruto, stating the obvious even though he already knew thanks to the Kage Buushin no Juitsu technique.

"Ino's with her too... They captured her and was already on the ship when we got there... I take it you didn't protect her, huh?" Naruto countered at Kisame.

"TSK!" said Kisame, glaring at him from behind the helm.

"So now we're visiting Cloud..." sighed Kakashi. "We'd better get a message to Tsunade-sama. She's probably debating whether or not to send a follow-up unit."

"NO!!!" shouted Naruto. "She's gonna wring my neck when she finds out her two apprentices were taken!!"

"Don't worry, we won't tell her it was ALL YOUR FAULT," said Kisame, rubbing salt in the wound.

"So...." said Itachi. "We go to Cloud..."

Itachi walked over to the bow of the boat and put his hands on the railing. Everyone else looked at his back and knew that he was thoroughly worried about Sakura. Itachi took a deep breath. He knew time was running out. It wouldn't be long before Sakura was ready to have their child, and he knew some shinobi wouldn't even wait for a natural birth. If they took the baby and killed Sakura, a simple shuffle would keep Itachi from finding it forever. Still, that didn't compare to him losing her. She had become his reason for living.

"Itachi...." said Naruto, gently approaching him from behind. "Gomen.... I promise I'll get her back..."

Naruto felt guilty for the way things turned out. There they all were, in the same vicinity as Sakura, and he went ahead and separated them all.

"It's not your fault Naruto.... If you hadn't gone to find her at that very moment, Sakura might have been taken to Cloud without our knowledge.... She's my responsibility. In the end it boils down to the fact that I left her in the first place...."

Naruto didn't know what to say. The guilt that Itachi was feeling was so overwhelming that Naruto could feel it emanating off of him, and he knew that there was nothing he could say. So, instead, Naruto walked away and left Itachi to sort out his own feelings of guilt.

The ship sailed the rest of the night without a lantern lit. When the sun finally peaked its rays over the horizon, everyone except for Kakashi at the helm was fast asleep from having stayed up all night to keep a vigilant watch. Their energies had waned, and the sleep was welcome for those who would be tested in the trials to come.

* * *

"Sakura? Are you okay?" asked Ino, crouching beside Sakura who had her back leaning against the hull of the ship.

"I don't feel so good...." said Sakura softly, not even opening her eyes.

"You pulse is weak, and you have a fever," said Ino as she put her hand to Sakura's forehead.

"How long have we been out here?"

_This isn't good,_thought Ino. _Sakura's beginning to lose a grip on her surroundings. We need to stop soon or we're going to have to make a break for it, somehow...._

Ino heard a loud splash echo through the hull. The anchor had dropped.

"We're here," said Ino. "Sakura, you need to stand..."

Sakura stood up and vomited away from Ino. Coughing, she wiped her nose on her sleeve.

"Ugh..." moaned Sakura, grabbing ahold of Ino's arm.

Footsteps were heard and soon the hatch was opened above them.

"You two, out!" shouted a shinobi.

Ino helped Sakura up the stairs and onto the deck. They had been travelling for about two days and were exhausted. They were barely given any food or water, despite the fact that the shinobi had purposely kidnapped a pregnant woman. Not having been able to shower, they both smelt like sea salt mixed with dew as they were kept bellow deck the entire time. They were both seasick, but as the sun began to warm the damp off of them, Sakura stood up a bit stronger and faced her captors.

"We've got a way to go. Keep up or I'll kill your friend," said Yoshii as he pointed to Ino.

Sakura nodded.

"Alright, let's get moving..."

As Ino and Sakura were escorted to shore, they turned back to see that some of the shinobi had remained and were sailing the ship more north up the coast.

_Smart bastards..._thought Sakura. _They're creating a diversion..._

Sakura looked at Ino who looked back at her. They were thinking the same thing. Without a ship marking where they landed, there would be no way for Itachi and the others to find them. Kumogakure was a known location, but they still didn't know if that really was their destination.

Sakura acted as if she were weak again. Ino, sensing her reason, went and put Sakura's arm over her neck to brace her.

"Any ideas?" whispered Sakura.

"No, you?" said Ino.

Sakura and Ino looked around.

"Hang on," said Sakura. "This is going to be messy, but it's the only way...."

As soon as Sakura reached the treeline, she punched the closest tree so hard that it split into two. As soon as she did, the other shinobi pounced on her and reprimanded her arms. Sakura tried to wrench her arms away, but stopped the moment that a kunai was brought to Ino's throat.

"I thought we had an agreement?" said Yoshii as he jabbed the tip of his kunai into Ino's neck, causing it to bleed.

"Sorry.... the tree was ugly..." said Sakura. "You know how pregnant women are, tempermental and all..."

Yoshii glared at Sakura, but didn't want to shed blood needlessly.

"Cut it down..." ordered Yoshii to the other shinobi. "Drag it inland..."

The shinobi standing behind them shook their heads in frustration. Using whatever juitsu they had at their disposal, they somehow managed to fell the tree and drag it into the forest. Sakura nudged Ino and looked up towards the trees. Where the tree had once stood was a blank and empty space, however, when the shinobi had brought it down they had broken the branches of the other trees in the process, flashing the backside of the leaves so that it stood out against the darker green backdrop.

"Think it'll work?" whispered Sakura.

"It'll have to..." said Ino.

As the other shinobi came back to where Yoshii sat with the girls, one of them came up and grabbed Sakura by the hair, yanking her to her feet with such a force.

"The next time you try something I won't be as lenient as Yoshii," sneered the shinobi into Sakura's face. She could feel the spray as he spoke.

Throwing her head, Sakura stumbled back into Ino.

"Let's make this smooth, shall we?" said Yoshii to the girls, as much as meant it towards his comrades.

As the two of them set off into the forest, Ino couldn't help but feel skulky eyes focused on her back as she went. She knew that kind of look well, most kunoichi did. It was the feeling of being violated with someone else's eyes as if she were a piece of steak.

"Keep looking and I'll cut your eyes out," said Ino, not even turning her back.

Ino heard a chuckle from behind and a smack of the lips. There was no doubt about it. She and Sakura were going to have some rough times ahead of them. As the shinobi disappeared into the forest with their captives, Sakura could not help but feel that the others were not far behind.

* * *

Kakashi's eye's were closed but he could hear voices leaking into his sleep.

"Do you think leader sent them?" asked Kisame.

"I don't know. It's possible that the idea came from someone else," answered Itachi.

"This is going bad really quick, Itachi. I hope you have a plan..."

Itachi stared over the helm and towards the land in the distance. He had several ideas, but he didn't know which one he'd have to use.

"If it comes to it, I'll give her up...." said Itachi.

"You mean, if it comes to it, you'll give _your_life up..." Kisame translated outloud.

Itachi didn't answer. He knew that his comrade wasn't dumb. There were only a few possible options, all leading to somebody's death.

Kisame sighed loudly. "What's with you and drama? It's either leave her behind or sacrifice yourself to save the life of your woman and child... Mind you, neither are promising."

"Well, think of it this way," said Itachi. "You won't have to put up with me anymore...."

"No! I'll just have to live with Tobi, or even worse, Deidara!! I pray that I don't have to take on a newby...."

"Do you mind telling me who leader sent? It might be imperative to my knowledge of this mission," said Kakashi with his eyes still closed.

Itachi glared at Kisame, blaming him for waking up the one-eyed Sharingan user.

Kakashi sat up and stared at the two.

"So, which country is related to Akatsuki?" asked Kakashi, guessing exactly what it was.

Kisame looked at Itachi. He knew that in the end he always had the last word.

".....Amegakure...." answered Itachi.

"So, it's happening already huh? Do you think they know you intervened?" asked Kakashi.

"I think they might have an idea. Kisame and I have kept up with the regular check-ins, but no doubt our presence in this matter has not gone unnoticed... If they haven't figured it out now, they will soon."

"Don't worry though," said Kisame. "We've called for back up...."

"Deidara?" asked Kakashi.

"Yupp... I'm not good enough to seal the deal. Deidara is going to help me with that."

"So you're looking for a cover-up? Is that temporary or permanent?"

"Let us worry about that. You just concentrate on getting your former student back."

Kakashi didn't say anymore. He knew they wouldn't go deeper. So, getting up from where he lay, he looked out over the water and saw their destination nearing. As Kakashi yawned he woke up even more, taking in the scenery as he did so with a fresh pair of eyes. He didn't know how they were going to infiltrate an enemy stronghold like Kumogakure. Remembering the few times he had been there, he hated to think that the mountain that the village was situated on didn't offer much in terms of access. There were only a few ways in, and all were pretty well guarded. Such was to be expected by one of Konoha's greatest enemies.


	14. Chapter 14

The leaves in the trees rustled from the chilled wind that blew through the night. There were no sounds of crickets to be heard as they hid in shelter from what they knew was coming. Slowly little trickles of rain began to fall from the sky, tapping upon the leaves before falling in heaps to the ground. No sooner than it had begun, the trickle turned to a downpour as the cloud carrying showers passed overhead, darkening the view of the moon above. It was a bad day to be in the forest.

Ino and Sakura did their best to hide from the rain, but their shinobi escorts pressed them on. Having started their journey back in Wind Country, the girls were clad in summer gear, exposing their bodies to the elements as they went.

_Hachoo!_

Sakura groaned and wiped her nose as her watery eyes tried to concentrate on where she was going. It seemed that all of her immunities were focused more on her pregnancy than she was. Having not taken much vitamins to aid in her pregnancy, she was quickly being drained of all that she had to offer.

"Hey! Yoshii!" yelled Ino. "I thought you folks wanted to keep the child, because it sure seems like you don't when you leave the mother carrying it to freeze in this weather!"

Yoshii ignored her. He kept looking straight ahead and did not even wince or twitch to the sound of her voice.

"Bastard..." mumbled Ino as she sneered at him from behind. "This fucker doesn't know how close he is to death!"

"It's okay Ino, but thanks," smiled Sakura to her friend. "Having you around sure relieves the stress, even if a tiny bit."

Ino moved behind Sakura and began rubbing her arms rapidly in an effort to warm her. Sakura, clashing between the sudden warmth and cold around her, let out another sneeze.

Sakura watched the two behind them struggling with the irritating rain. They were not used to moving so slowly on the forest floor through the rain, but they couldn't travel any other way as they were watching the hostages. They also didn't want to take the chance of pushing a pregnant woman to her limit, even though they still forced her through the storm.

Ino moved and put her right arm around Sakura's back, grabbing onto her arm at the other side. Sakura did the same but instead wrapped her arm around Ino's waist.

"I need to get you out of here, Ino," said Sakura, loud enough for Ino to hear but not enough for the escorts to catch it over the rain.

"I'm not leaving you," said Ino, resolute.

"Come on, Ino. You and I both know that it won't be long before they try to dispose of you. They have no business with you. You can make it!"

"No Sakura, I promised shishou I'd bring you back, and I'm going to. Besides, Naruto would never forgive me."

Sakura squeezed her arm around Ino's waist, thanking her for her friendship. The strong bond between best friends was something that not many people have, and Sakura knew that the one she had with Ino was as strong as hers and Narutos, just with a little more cat-like characteristics.

Suddenly Yoshii took off ahead, leaving Sakura and Ino in the care of the other two. As they debated within themselves as to whether they should just beat the crap out of the other two, no sooner was it hatched did Yoshii return.

"Alright, we're taking the back way," said Yoshii. "I'll take the blonde, you two watch the pink."

As Sakura and Ino followed Yoshii to the base of the mountain, they looked up towards the sky and saw that the very top of it was truly hidden in the clouds.

"Shit!" said Ino as she stared up. "You're going to make her climb up there? Are you fucking insane!?!"

"Shut the fuck up, bitch!" yelled the shinobi behind her, shoving her forward.

"Touch me again and I'll make your dick fall off," said Ino with a completely placid face that told him she meant it, and could do it.

The shinobi saw Ino's hand glow blue, establishing to them that she was a medical nin.

"One touch, and I'll make the skin tissue on your tiny penis rot before your eyes..."

The shinobi took a step back, covering his crotch with both his hands. A bead of sweat passed down the side of his face. Turning around, Ino went to stand beside Sakura.

"Can you really do that?" whispered Sakura.

"No, but I probably could if I tried...." giggled Ino.

Traversing the mountain was not an easy task, at least not for a pregnant woman. Sakura moved much slower and had to stop several times. It appeared that the back way was up a dip in the steep cliffside, rather than the winding road that almost everyone took to get to Kumogakure.

Sakura, already experienced from being taken hostage by Kirigakure before, knew that the Raikage must have had the same idea about keeping her hidden. If no one could verify that she was seen there, all they'd have to do was deny, deny, deny. This thought made Sakura irritated. No one was stupid enough to believe it, not when you had sent a fleet to Kirigakure for her, flashing your banner all along the way.

_Idiots..._thought Sakura. _No wonder you're our enemies..._

Sakura picked up her pace, leaving the other shinobi behind for a brief moment before they caught on. As Sakura mentally pushed herself to ignore the burning in her legs, Ino stayed beside her step for step, making sure that if Sakura slipped that she'd be there to catch her.

Ino stepped on a small rock and purposely swept it back and into the face of the shinobi who shoved her. Looking over her shoulder, she snickered at his pissed off face.

_Ah, what fun.... _sighed Ino with a smile.

It took the group about twenty minutes before they even broke the first cloud that skirted alongside the mountain cliffs. Sakura tried not to look back as she was busy keeping her very pregnant self from misstepping. As Sakura moved as quickly as possibly, she couldn't help but feel eyes upon her as she scaled the mountainside. Looking towards the ridges that skirted them, she could see why.

Hidden in the trees were camouflaged shinobi who undoubtedly guarded the secret paths. If it wasn't for their chakura signatures, Sakura would have easily missed them. However, she knew that they weren't supressing it because they were aware of her company.

Ino picked up on them too. She side-eyed a group of them as she zig-zagged through the trees. As the party she was with edged away from the outpost, Ino chose to stop, immediately catching the attention of the others.

"Keep moving," said the shinobi stopping beside her, in the meantime the others stopped too.

"Nope," said Ino shaking her head. "As a medical shinobi, I advise that we break here before your goal miscarries."

Yoshii turned to look at Sakura, who nodded in confirmation.

"Alright, you two go ahead and let the next outpost know we've stopped to rest. Make sure they pass the message on," ordered Yoshii.

The two shinobi took off, leaving Sakura and Ino sitting together a bit away from Yoshii. Yoshii tossed them a canister of water, to which Ino forwent a drink to let Sakura have it all.

"Why did you make us stop?" asked Sakura. "You know I could've gone longer."

"I wanted to survey the land before we get locked in the clouds," said Ino. "I needed a landmark so that we can avoid those sentries below. From what I've been seeing, they're spaced around a hundred yards between eachother, alternating sides up the ridge."

"Good idea," said Sakura. "I counted five outposts, how many did you get?"

"Eight."

"Eight?"

"You were busy watching out for the future mini-forehead."

Sakura giggled. She thought of a mini-pig, running around with her mini-forehead, and she hoped that would become a reality someday.

"Ino, hurry up and get pregnant," said Sakura, nudging her friend.

"What!?! Are you crazy!?! And with _whom _do you suppose I get pregnant with? I can beat up half these dorks," said Ino, crossing her arms with a smug look on her face.

"Hmmm, true. You have a point. Though.... there is Sai."

Ino blushed.

"Hah! I knew it! Think about it Ino, you could have albino-babies with him!"

"What the fuck!?!"

"Your blonde hair, his paleness, and from what I've heard from the way he teases Naruto, he's got a big..."

Ino slapped her hands over Sakura's mouth, blushing bright red. The two of them sat there and laughed at the fact that even though they were in the face of danger, their minds could not help but float to funnier things. It was a nice break from the harsh treatment they were getting, and they were thankful they had eachother to keep their spirits up.

Before they could really get the burn out of their legs, a shadow passed over them.

"Let's move," said Yoshii. "We have to get up there by sunset."

Sakura and Ino followed Yoshii on to the next outpost where the other two shinobi were waiting. As the two of them once again took up the rear, they continued on for another hour until the light that surrounded them began to pale as the sun touched the western horizon. A sudden chill passed over them as the mountains brought them closer to the sky, and the sound of chirping birds echoed through the trees, announcing the days end with their afternoon conversations. All was at peace, except for the two female souls that moved along with a cloud over their heads.

* * *

The sun was halfway below the horizon when the group finally became drenched in the clouds. The air was absolutely chilly and it made Sakura feel like she was getting sick again.

"Ino," said Sakura, beads of sweat dripping down the sides of her face. "I don't feel so good."

Ino was getting worried. Sakura wasn't a complainer, at least not when it came to pain. If Sakura was complaining, it meant that it was serious and that she knew that she'd need help.

"We're almost there, Sakura," said Ino looking ahead. "Just a little bit more."

Twilight struck and the group saw lights up ahead. They had finally reached the outskirts of the village that was swallowed in the clouds, hidden from all below.

"Amazing...." said Ino, verbally saying what Sakura was thinking.

Never had the two seen such a sight. The village was carved high into the mountain, skirting around the many ridges and embedded with fields of vegetables and fruits. Had Sakura and Ino not been captives of such a wondrous place, they might have chosen to vacation here at some point. As they neared the very top of the ridge they were following, the smell of food wafted down to them and welcomed them with warmth. Sakura and Ino could hear mothers calling to their children, commanding that they come home to eat before their food got cold. It made the girls smile to be around such familial sounds, something they had missed since the start of their journey. It was a welcomed sight and sound, but the welcome party that stood at the top waiting for them was somewhat less than warm.

A group of eerie looking men stood over the girls as they pulled themselves over the last hurdle. As Ino and Sakura stepped onto flat ground, they were immediately grabbed and dragged off down the road. Sakura and Ino looked around in an effort to memorize the surrounding roads and houses. They looked back at where they had come from and noticed that anyone walking down the road would have never recognized that there was a path just below. Sakura watched Yoshii stay behind and bow low to a man dressed in plain clothes.

_The Raikage..._thought Sakura. _So, he did come out personally to get his report. _

As Ino and Sakura rounded the bend, Sakura just made out a smile that came across the Raikage's face as he looked over to her before she disappeared from sight. It was more like a smirk of cockiness than anything.

The two girls were led silently down the road away from the villager's homes, and as the road wound up and down the hills, no one said a thing to them, nor did anyone look at them. There was one however, who was.

Ino had managed to catch the eyes of one of their guards, a rough looking shinobi with perversion in his eyes. Ino hadn't seen it as she was ahead of him, but Sakura locked on to him like a homing device and didn't avert her stare until he noticed she was looking at him. The shinobi immediately looked back forward, trying to play it off but it was too late. Sakura knew what kind of person he was, and that was the kind of person that did unforgivable things to females. Just how bad he was though, was yet to be seen.

The girls were led to a area that was blocked off from the rest of the village. There was a house situated on a dip in the ridge that was flattened just so to the point where it offered a bit of shelter. It overlooked the western horizon and was a beautiful spot to watch the sunset, but the surrounding ridge made a slight wind tunnel that pressed upon the roof of the home, making it creak and fill with a chill. As Sakura and Ino approached the entrance, they could see why this spot had been chosen.

The two ridges around the house had sentries sitting upon them, but it was the opening to western horizon that afforded the most security as it turned out to be a two hundred foot drop straight down from the very edge. Sakura and Ino got a little antsy at the thought of the house blowing them right off the cliff, but the thought quickly perished as their guards pulled open the shoji doors and shoved the two girls in, closing the doors behind them.

"Well at least we don't have to see their ugly faces anymore," said Ino, fixing her top that had shifted from being escorted.

"They've probably prepared clothes and food for us. Let's see what they have," said Sakura.

"It's scary how used to this you have become, Sakura. I hope I don't get that way."

"Let's just hope they'll leave us in peace. That one shinobi was eyeing your goods out on the way here."

"Which one?"

"The one that looked like a pervert."

"Oh, that one," said Ino, here eyes narrowing. "Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for that one."

It may have seemed like a nonchalent way of approaching the topic of a potential pervert in their midsts, but Sakura and Ino as kunoichi, were frequently introduced to this prospect, and as such, knew how to handle these situations. Constant vigilance and an eye on eachother's backs were always their best friends.

"Found a bath," said Sakura upon meeting up with a wooden basin. "We'll have to heat it up ourselves, but at least we have warm water."

"Found the kitchen!" shouted Ino from the other room. "Looks like they've stocked the bare minimum."

Sakura slid open a set of shoji doors to reveal two futons laid out for them. Grabbing a pair of clothes neatly placed out for her, she went back to the bath to start the fires. Ino, sensing that her friend was ill, helped her with warming the water.

As the two girls took turns bathing and warming their bodies, they made their way over to the kitchen for a meager meal of rice and furikake, before laying themselves down to rest. By the time Ino had blown out the last candle, Sakura had already fallen fast asleep.

Ino lay awake in the darkness of the room and listened to the wind billowing down upon the roof. As the wind tested the strength of the house's construction, Ino could hear footsteps outside of their window, and knew that a sentry must be making his rounds. Turning over to snuggle beneath the sheets, Ino began to think of ways to get her friend out this mess. It seemed that the attacks were relentless and the only way they could escape it was by being relentless in their attempts to escape as well.

_Perhaps we're going about this all wrong, _thought Ino. _Our desperate attempts have all failed, but it's not like we had a choice... We need to figure out a better way.... don't know though...._

Ino heard the wind rushing against the roof before she even opened her eyes. She could feel the sun shining through the window, warming the little pod that she created with her blanket. Turning over to get the sunlight off her face, she peeked her eyes open to the pink-haired bush sticking out of the blanket across from her. Ino sat up and rubbed her eyes. Something didn't seem right though. The air smelt sour.

Looking over to Sakura, Ino crawled over to her and pulled the blanket back a bit. The sour smell got stronger once she did so, and Ino realized it was because Sakura had broken into a full-blown sweat overnight.

"Oh no," said Ino, placing her hand on Sakura's forehead. "Sakura, are you okay?"

Sakura mumbled and opened her eyes. "I feel like shit."

"Wait here," said Ino, rushing off to the kitchen. When she returned, she had a cup of water and a wet towel.

Ino threw back the blanket so that Sakura could dry off, not to mention get her fever down. Sitting Sakura up, Ino made her drink some water to stem the dehydration.

"I need to get you some medicine," said Ino, laying Sakura back down and placing the towel on her forehead. "I'll be back."

Sakura felt too ill to ask where she was going, but watched as Ino found her bag and threw it over her shoulder. Sliding open the front doors, Ino left a crack open so that the house aired out.

Ino walked towards the path to the village, but immediately stopped when two shinobi jumped in her path.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked the first shinobi.

"Out to get medicine and supplies," said Ino. "Sakura is sick. Your fucking goons made her walk through the rain and then climb that mountain all in one day. Check if you want."

The shinobi nodded to his second, who in turn went to peek in the house. Coming back out, he nodded to the shinobi who stood before Ino, acknowledging that what she said was true.

"We will get them for you."

"Oh? I don't suppose that you know everything I need, on top of that, I don't know everything that you have available. There's groceries, medicine, toiletries, and womanly products that I doubt you will get the right size, brand, and absorbency power right."

The last part made the shinobi twitch. He grossed out at the thought of what she meant by _absorbency power._

_Hehe, got him!_thought Ino. _Never underestimate the power of male impotence in the face of womanly needs._

"Ahem!" coughed the shinobi. "I'll escort you myself."

"Good!" said Ino with a bright smile. "You can be my date!"

Hooking her arm in his, Ino spun him around and set off down the road, jealous eyes watching their backs as they went.

"So!" said Ino to her date. "What is life like in Kumogakure? I always wondered if it was a place worth visiting."

The shinobi frowned, a tad bit insulted, but answered her question just the same.

"As you can see for yourself, we are quite well-established in this region as a shinobi village, but we also offer much in terms of sweets and pastries."

"Ooh! I must get some while we're out. What's your name by the way?"

"Sasaki."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ino. Do you have a girlfriend?"

Sasaki was startled by such a blunt question.

"What's it to you?" he said defensively.

"Well, I want to know if my arm around yours is going to get you some unwanted attention, that's why."

"Oh... no... I don't."

Ino smiled and pulled him in closer, making his posture change uncomfortably. She could tell that he was just a gennin, assigned to do the boring stuff. Noting his insecurity, she let him switch to tugging her along as she playfully smiled to the villagers they passed.

* * *

The marketplace was quaint with a nice setting of simple shops. The market that Sasaki took her to was much like the one they had back in Konoha. In fact, it had just about everything they had back in Konoha.

Ino walked around and began throwing things into her shopping basket. She got soup, tea, medicine for the common cold, and aspirin to bring Sakura's fever down. When she reached the female products section however, Sasaki conveniently slipped away to grab some drinks and snacks for himself and his comrades.

As Ino examined a jumbo-sized box of tampons (having decided to get the biggest box she could find as she didn't know how long they would be there), Ino noticed that she was also next to the section with hair dye.

_Hmmm..._thought Ino._ It seems that my prayers for an escape have been answered...somewhat._

Snatching two boxes of pink dye, Ino buried it beneath the many cans of soup and boxes of medicine that she had accumulated before walking over to the cashier.

"I'll get my stuff, you get yours," said Ino to Sasaki. "I don't like people paying for my things, even if this is a date."

Sasaki shrugged his shoulders and stood in line behind her as the cashier rung all her items through. When the boxes of hair dye were uncovered, Ino began inquiring as to what he bought to distract him. To ensure that she had his full attention, Ino applied the age-old technique of squishing her cleavage together as she leaned forward to look at his snacks. The cashier rolled her eyes as she knew exactly what Ino was doing.

"Arigatou!" said Ino to the cashier, winking at her with a grin.

The cashier, in return, grinned a small grin as she rung up Sasaki's items. It was a cheap trick, but a good trick nevertheless.

Ino and Sasaki walked down the road, basking in the morning sun and taking in the mountain air. As they did so, Sasaki could not help but note the cute pins in Ino's hair, and the way she cutely held her grocery bags in front of her. With each step they took, he unconciously adjusted his speed to be as near to her as possible. Everytime their arms bumped together, he felt a tiny flitter in his heart.

"Sasaki? You're a gennin aren't you?"

"Ha-hai...." stammered Sasaki with a blush. "How did you know?"

"I can tell..."

"Do I look that inexperienced?"

"Well, no, but your reactions of being next to a fine-looking woman like me, tell me so."

Sasaki tilted his head to the side with an anguished look on his face.

"Oh don't worry, it's cute! I also thought so because otherwise you wouldn't be wasting your time with a bunch of damsels in distress like us, am I right?"

Sasaki shook his head reluctantly. "It sucks."

"Well, hopefully it won't last long."

Sasaki couldn't help but note a hint of foretelling in Ino's voice, but nevertheless, he led her back down the dirt road past the wooden fences, over the hills, and onward to the house that sat on the cliff.

* * *

"Sakura!!" shouted Ino as she came into the house. "I've got you lots of goodies!!!"

Ino walked over to the kitchen and began taking things out of the package. Ino heard the door slide open, followed by footsteps towards her direction. Turning around, Ino found a pale looking Sakura edging her way over to her.

"I got escorted by one of the shinobi guarding us. He's not bad," said Ino as she read the directions on the medicine box. "A gennin whose seen battle but really incredibly shy, kinda like Shika-chan."

"What'd you get me?" asked Sakura.

"Here. Take this, this, and this. It should be safe for pregnant women."

"Arigatou, Ino."

"Oh, I also got this..." whispered Ino, showing her the boxes of hair dye.

"You've got to be kidding..." said Sakura with a nasaly voice.

"Think about it! It's incredibly dumb but incredibly smart! They won't be fooled by a little copy juitsu, but they can be fooled with something they cannot detect! Think about it! Whose to know!?!"

"NO, Ino. It won't work."

Ino looked over at the frowning Sakura, confused as to why her friend who would normally be up for something like this, to suddenly become as frigid as an old woman.

".... What's wrong Sakura? You'd never have disagreed to something like this before.... oh...."

Ino looked at Sakura's eyes that suddenly had a hint of sadness in them, and she figured out why she would disagree to such a suggestion.

"You need to get out of here," said Ino firmly.

"Not like this."

"Don't argue. You have no choice. You can't stop me."

"I'm not leaving you, Ino."

Ino heaved a heavy sigh. She knew that Sakura would eventually agree.

"Look," said Ino. "You _have_ to get out of here. I'll bide my time and escape when they think I'm too pregnant to do it. Don't worry. I'll definitely get out before they get any ideas about using premature birthing techniques. I just need to buy you some time, that's all. None of the other villages will think to look for you elsewhere, giving you safe passage to Konoha. Just make sure you keep yourself warm."

Sadness was now written all over Sakura's face, but she knew that this was indeed the best plan. Nodding her head, Sakura agreed to it.

The plan was set and Sakura's illness could not have come at a better time. Ino's leave would not be a surprise to the shinobi who would take it as abandonment. Trials of this sort definitely made shinobi think twice, and leaving a comrade to find help would no doubt be a good reason for her to leave. Sakura and Ino would just have to make sure that they timed it perfectly so that neither of them would get caught. If either of them were to be caught, the other's position would be immediately revealed. So, setting out the details late into the afternoon, Sakura absorbed every ounce of Ino's presence, scared that she may never see her friend again.

* * *


	15. Chapter 15

A week had passed and Sakura eventually got better. However, to keep their plan in effect, Sakura continued to act as if she hadn't, drenching herself with a hot towel every now and then to look feverish. When she did this, she would sit upon the porch with Ino, who would take their afternoon snack out into the fresh air for their steadfast guards to see. Ino would wave at Sasaki, noting that his expression never changed, but that he twitched when she did so.

"He's cute, but a little too shy for my taste," said Sakura.

"Hmph! You should talk, going for the one who barely speaks more than two syllables," said Ino as she sipped her tea.

"So, tonight's the night huh? You ready?"

"What are you asking me for, you're the one who's gonna be hustling for the next couple of weeks. You sure you can do this?"

"I'm going to have to. We've got this far."

"I'll hold out as long as I can, but just remember that if anything goes wrong..."

"I'm gonna have to book it, I know."

Sakura took a bite of her sweet bean jelly before taking a sip of her green tea.

"How long has it been now? I mean since you first got pregnant," asked Ino, looking at Sakura's large belly.

"Hmmm, if I met Itachi at the beginning of Spring.... then that would mean I will be around six months at the end of September, this month."

A cold chill passed between them, and Ino looked out over the cliff.

"Autumn's here," said Ino, wrapping her hands around her cup of tea. "You'll have to be quick... a lot quicker than we planned, perhaps."

"Mmm. I'll make the break for Konoha a straight one. Once I'm pass those gates, no one will dare to try and piss off shishou...."

"Nope," agreed Ino. "Not unless they're crazed like Sasuke was...."

Sakura looked at her cup of tea and saw that a tiny stalk of it floated upright, indicating a good omen.

"I hope that he is alright," said Sakura.

"I hope so too..." said Ino. "Do you think he knows?"

"I don't know. I suppose that if he did, he might try to protect me, especially after what had happened."

Ino let a moment of silence pass between them, a solem look crossing her face as her eyes glazed over in deep thought. As a breeze brushed the bangs away from her face, she waited until it passed before she spoke.

"Do you think it's a curse to be an Uchiha?"

Sakura looked down and placed her hand upon her belly. Running her hand over the smooth surface of her shirt, she thought back to all her memories of what it was like to be an Uchiha. Everything was so painful and so tragic, full of nothing but blood and tears, but as she rolled the question through her mind like a coin over her fingers, Sakura shut her eyes and defeated the suggestion to look back up and stare Ino in the eyes.

"If it is, I will break it...."

* * *

Night had fallen much earlier now that autumn was upon them. Taking advantage of the situation, Ino and Sakura thought it would be best to get an early start on executing their plan. Prepping all the supplies and equipment they would need, they piled everything into the living room which was closest to the cliff.

"Alright, now for your hair!" said Sakura with knife.

"Ugh! Do you know how long it took me to grow it back!?!" whined Ino.

"Do it..." whispered Sakura with a mischievous grin.

"Aaaw..."

"Hehe... I love you, Ino."

"Fuck you."

Ino untied her hair and held it out for Sakura to cut. As her long tresses fell upon the cloth that was laid out, Ino cringed everytime she felt a tug.

"There! You look gorgeous!" said Sakura, handing it to herself that she did a good job. "Now, to the bathroom!"

Sakura dyed Ino's hair relatively quickly, and gave a nod of approval at the finished result.

"Not bad," said Sakura. "It's actually pretty close to my hair color. We're just lucky that you were a natural blonde! Otherwise you might have turned out maroon."

Sakura laid out the dinner table as Ino fussed over her new treads. The idea of being a pink-forehead was quite weird for Ino. Her head felt much lighter than it was before, and she tripped out when she tried to brush it. Everytime she made for a long stroke of the brush, her hands fell to the pressure that she put on the sudden catch of air.

"Eat," commanded Sakura. "This is the last meal I might have with you."

Ino looked over at her friend and smiled a fake smile.

"Been paying attention to Sai, have we?" said Sakura. "That fake smile doesn't suit you."

"Yeah," said Ino with a sigh. "But I thought I'd try."

The two girls sat at the table and enjoyed their meal to the fullest. They had made a large feast of whatever they had, hoping to stem Sakura's starvation to come just a little bit longer. Ino had packed whatever food she could, but it was light so that Sakura could make a clean getaway. When the last grain of rice had been swallowed, Sakura and Ino lingered a little longer to enjoy eachothers company one last time.

"Alright, sleep for four hours, then get up and get out," said Ino.

* * *

Sakura went into the room and laid her head down. The excitement of making her escape kept her up for a bit, but it was not long before her mind went blank and her limbs went limp. Ino blew out the last candle and sat in darkness, pinching the ends of her hair and counting the hours until Sakura's escape.

One hour passed, and soon, three. In the last hour of Sakura's slumber, Ino got up to warm some tea. Shuffling her feet into the kitchen, Ino felt around for the pot already filled with water, and then felt the box of matches that she had left next to it. Striking a match Ino blinked several times to the sudden blast of light, but a shadow behind her reached out making her drop it as one arm wrapped over hers with the other coming around to cover her mouth.

"Don't scream...." said an unfamiliar voice.

Ino instantly felt that familiar chill run down her back. It was that shinobi Sakura had warned her about. Ino froze in fright for a brief moment, but then struggled to get free. The shinobi fell with Ino to the floor, pinning her to her stomach with her arms beneath her. Ino was right about to show him what kind of kunoichi Konoha pumped out, before Sakura came in with a slight chakura-filled punch to his head.

Sakura kicked the dead shinobi off of Ino and shook her head. "What the fuck were you waiting for? You could've killed him before he even dropped you!"

"Yeah, but I didn't want to give away what was going on in here to the shinobi outside, otherwise our cover would've been blown."

"True. I guess you're forgiven."

"Gee, thanks," said Ino with troublesome sigh. "Now what the fuck do we do with this peace of shit? I doubt his comrades know about what's going on, especially since you know Sasaki's out there. I dunno Sakura, but I don't plan on playing you along with a dead body in the house."

"We'll just have to change our strategy a bit. Instead of making a sneaky break for it, I'll have to take this booger with me somehow.... What if we... nah, that wouldn't work."

"What?" asked Ino.

"Well, if I could throw him off the cliff somehow, faking myself going over with it while you run interference, I could get away while people search for the bodies below. I'll just double back and head for the way we came in. The moon's still in the eastern sky, I could easily make a getaway in the shadow of the cliff."

Ino watched as Sakura made her hands into blades that ran parallel to eachother, projecting the trajectory of her body and the other's.

"Well, that could work. How you gonna deal with that fall? Going up is one thing, but going down and beating gravity at the same time is an entirely different story, especially when you're pregnant."

"True.... any ideas?"

Ino looked around for an idea, then noticed that they had not counted the shinobi as a possible blessing. "Let's see what we've got here...."

Ino picked the pockets of the shinobi, turning out kunai, shuriken, and even some wire.

"Lucky!" said Ino as she held up the goods. "This wire should hold your weight, easy."

"Huh? What are you thinking?"

Ino grabbed the kunai and tied the wire to the end. Picking up the kunai, Ino flung it at the wall before tugging at the wire to see if it would hold.

"If you can extend your chakura to cover the blade, you should have no trouble in piercing the cliff."

"Genius Ino!" said Sakura, hugging her friend.

Loading up her bag, Sakura threw a jacket over it so that it was hidden from view. Wrapping a cloth over her head, Sakura hid her pink hair from view.

"You ready?" asked Sakura, as Ino leaned the shinobi against the wall.

"Wait," said Ino, grabbing a plastic bowl and filling it with cotton from one of their pillows. Placing it on her belly, Sakura helped wrap her with bandages so that it stayed. After it was secure and straight, Sakura helped her wrap a kimono over her so that it covered their handiwork.

"Okay," said Ino. "Now I'm ready."

* * *

Sasaki sat in an enclave on the ridge. Everytime the wind blew, he'd tighten his blanket around him and tuck his feet closer. Looking out over to the house, he shook his head at the thought of having been assigned to guard duty for another week and a half.

"This sucks shit..." said the shinobi sitting next to him. "Why the fuck do we need FOUR guards on babywatch!?! This is insane!!!"

Sasaki chuckled and turned his attention back on the house. Looking to the opposite ridge, he counted one guard sitting opposite of him.

"Hey, Koji, where's Taka?" asked Sasaki.

"Hmm? Bathroom break, maybe?"

"Oh...."

_"AAAAAHH!!!!!" _came a high-pitched shriek from within the house. Suddenly the wall closest to the cliff broke through and out came what looked like Taka and a woman holding a kunai jammed in his chest.

_"Run, Sakura! RUN!!!"_ shouted the woman.

The front shoji doors flew back and the pink-haired shinobi ran towards the village path. Confused as to who to follow, the other shinobi charged after the pink-haired one as Sasaki chased after who he thought was Ino. Jumping down from his post, he hadn't even touched the ground when he saw the two of them go over the cliff.

"NO!!!" shouted Sasaki, sprinting to the edge but it was too late. Below he saw their cloaked figures disappear into the darkness below, but it was not the last of them.

Sakura kicked off Taka's body and wrapped her kunai with chakura before jamming it into the moutain as she fell. Infusing chakura into her feet, Sakura caught the cliff with them at a run straight towards the ground before the slack of the wire tightened, slingshotting her sideways. Sakura helped herself along by running with it and using the momentum to propel her back up along the cliffside. Just as she was about to reach the top, her weight gave in to gravity, but she had already pulled out two more kunai to dig in for a last foothold.

As her hands wrapped the hilts of her kunai that now dug into the rock, Sakura's arms strained as her legs were left to dangle with her pregnant belly. Her cloak flapped in the wind, and weighed her down even more. She couldn't hold on forever, so she had to move fast. Sakura felt around with her feet until she found a decent foothold. Using her legs to stem the weight on her arms, Sakura inched her way up, pulling out the kunai and restabbing them into the rock so that she always had a good standing. Eventually she made it to the top, pulling herself up and over the edge so that she now lay resting with all her limbs freed.

Sakura breathed heavy and didn't dare to look back over the edge for fear of falling over again. Turning on to her side, Sakura made her way around the ridge, just enough to see what was happening back with Ino.

Looking over to the house, she saw a pink-haired person with her head hung low, trotting alongside some men who latched on to her arms.

"What happened?" asked Sasaki.

"I don't know," Sakura heard Ino reply, all the while keeping her head down. "That shinobi just attacked Ino. He tried to rape her and hurt me when I tried to help.... she defended me...."

Sasaki looked enraged. Grabbing the shinobi who was on watch with Taka by the collar, he shouted in his face. "Did you know about this!?!"

The shinobi shook his head silently, but it was obvious that he did. Sasaki threw a punch that even Sakura had to give him props for. Watching as they took Ino back into the house to inspect the evidence, Sakura took the chance to make a break down the path. Glancing back over to the house, Sakura silently thanked Ino and wished for the best.

* * *

The road was empty due to it being a late hour, but Sakura could slowly hear the village shinobi awaken as they were alerted to the incident. Sakura heard some voices ahead and disappeared into some bushes. As she waited for their footsteps to pass, she saw torches lit in the distance. No doubt it was a search party that was soon to find her body missing from the wreckage below.

_I've got maybe twenty minutes until they start searching in my direction..._thought Sakura. _I'd better move._

Sakura ran up the road as silently as she could. As she recounted the images of her first day in Kumogakure, she figured that she must be nearing the back way.

_There it is... _thought Sakura as she dropped into some bushes again.

Peering up and down the road, Sakura made sure she didn't sense a thing before lowering herself down the path. As she stepped down, she could feel the wind from below rush up from behind, flipping her coat up as it went. Slowly she inched her way down, noting that the first outpost would not be for another fifty yards.

As her already tired body came upon the first outpost, Sakura let her eyes readjust to the light before counting two sentries that were there. When the wind was right, she ran to the opposite ridge to make her way slowly down and past the leering eyes of the sentries. Sakura continued this routine all the way down for about another hour. She looked back up and could see the torches in the village shuffling around in the distance. It didn't look like they had made their way towards her yet, but she pressed on as if they were.

Although Sakura had covered a great distance upon her arrival, going back down the mountain took much longer as she was avoiding the outposts. So far she had managed to avoid all of them without giving a hint to her presence, but nevertheless she took as much precaution as possible to ensure that Ino's plan didn't go awry. Giving herself at most five minutes between each outpost, Sakura forced herself to keep moving so that she didn't lag. Every step counted, and every minute as well.

By the time Sakura had reached the base of the mountain, it had taken her only three hours to complete the distance as opposed to the two hours it took for her and the others to scale it. Making her way into the trees, Sakura heaved a big sigh of relief, and turned to continue her journey back to Konoha.

Shrugging her pack for good measure, Sakura took ten steps into the forest before she was grabbed from behind.

The bangs of a familiar face brushed across Sakura's cheek as a hand holding a metal object swept across her womb. Sakura felt something hard hit against her temple, and twitched when it pinched her.

"Hello, Sakura," whispered a familiar voice. "We've got a lot to talk about...."

The metal object that the person held in his hand made its way up and gleamed in the moonlight.

Sakura gasped. She'd know that scalpel anywhere....


	16. Chapter 16

Sakura's hand reached up and grabbed the wrist holding the scalpel while the other grabbed the hand over her belly.

"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF ME!!!!" shouted Sakura as she wrenched Kabuto's limbs away from her, crushing his fingers as she did so.

Letting go of his empty hand, Sakura used both of hers to secure his armed one as she guided it up and over her head before digging it towards the ground, spinning him in a circle as she did so. A sudden stop and a throw back, Sakura had successfully flipped Kabuto's body and disarmed him at the same time. Not wasting a second, Sakura dug that scalpel through his hand and into his back, pinning it in place.

_Poof!_

Sakura watched as the smoke cleared and the clone disappeared. Searching the trees, Sakura prepared for the real Kabuto to show his face. As her eyes passed over the dark silhouettes of the trunks around her, she kneeled down to pick up the scalpel, prepping for a long-awaited incision that she was dying to give.

"I think that pregnancy made you more feistier than ever, Sakura," said Kabuto's voice from behind her.

Whipping around, she saw the smooth surface of his glasses flash in the moonlight, a second before he walked out into the open.

"So it's true. The great Uchichas are preparing to birth another child. Remind me pray to their spirits, thanking them for handing so many well-prepared container's for Orochimaru-sama's use. He will be very pleased indeed."

Positioning the scalpel, Sakura didn't even flinch at the insult. Charging forward, she slashed horizontally at where Kabuto once stood. As he flew back, he nearly got sliced as Sakura closed the gap between them at lightning speed.

Sakura felt the vest that Kabuto wore tear as she made contact, but not deep enough to make him bleed. Whipping out whatever wire she had left, she wrapped it around him and the nearest tree, yanking it tight so that he slammed against it sideways. Kabuto felt his head whiplash against the tree before catching a blue glow out of the corner of his eye.

Sakura's chakura-filled fist was fully charged and aimed right at his center, the last place on a person's body to move. Moments before her fist made contact, Kabuto sliced through the wire with chakura as he felt the tree explode right behind him.

Sakura's eyes flashed briefly of uncontrollable rage, a moment before her other fist lodged into the ground that Kabuto had just left.

The earth cracked and exploded. The jolt of energy and rock flying everywhere hit Kabuto and made him fall into a crevice. As he lay wedged between it, Sakura didn't waste any time in giving him a last word, she just came down with a stomp that looked very much like Tsunade's. However, just as she was about to stick her boot into Kabuto's ass, she caught it: his replacement juitsu.

The momentum was too much and Sakura's chakura blasted into the earth.

"FUCK!" yelled Sakura as she knew she had wasted a lot of chakura.

_Shit! _thought Sakura._ In a blind fury I was too dumb to notice that this is what he wants!_

Sakura leapt out of the crater she just made, only to find a smiling Kabuto looking across it at her.

"Oh please, don't stop on my accord," Kabuto wise-cracked now that he knew she had caught on.

The fight wasn't an accident. Kabuto was purposefully making her drain her chakura so that she'd be easier to handle.

_Shit, I can't believe I fucking played into that one,_ thought Sakura as she glared at him. _Well, it's better to be recaptured by Kumogakure than to be taken away by this one. Someone should have caught on to our presence by now. _

Sakura felt a pang of exhaustion but ignored it. She would have to hang on until some unwanted help came along. If anything, the last kick should have been loud enough for the sentries up the mountain to hear, and with the fact that everyone was out looking for Ino, they should get there quick.

Suddenly Sakura's vision blurred and she side-stepped in a sway. Shaking her head, Sakura proceeded to buy herself some time.

Pulling out her last two kunai, Sakura armed both sides as she prepared to fight with as little chakura as possible, noting that she would have to be very careful in fighting close combat while being pregnant.

Sakura stood there, waiting for Kabuto to move. The last thing she wanted to do was prolongue their fight by instigating it more.

"Where's Sasuke?" asked Sakura, trying to stall.

"At home, unaware of what's going on," said Kabuto. "Having a tempermental Sasuke is quite a hazard, as Konoha very well knows. Some things you just can't tell him or he goes insane."

"Sounds like we got the better end of the deal.... And Orochimaru?"

"Babysitting him."

"Heh. I guess that makes you the nanny as well."

Suddenly Kabuto shot forward to attack, catching her slightly off guard. Before Sakura knew it, her kunai were in front of her blocking his.

"Quit stalling, let's fight," said Kabuto with that crazy look in his eye.

Sakura felt a chill run down her spine. It was the same look he gave her when he had placed that torturing juitsu upon her. It was a perverted look that said he took pleasure in such things.

"Sukebe!" puffed Sakura.

"What?"

Sakura shoved Kabuto back and gave him a kick to the gut. Apparently her accusation caught him off guard as well. Sakura moved in and came with an uppercut using her kunai. Kabuto threw his head back to avoid being skewered. Bounding backward, he landed a safe distance away from her.

Suddenly Sakura and Kabuto stopped as they could feel a several presences approaching them at rapid speed.

The corner of Sakura's mouth went up into a tiny smile. They had finally arrived.

Kabuto knew he had to do something quick or he would fail in his mission. After having failed to reel her in the first time around, losing this perfect opportunity to secure Orochimaru's future would be disastrous. The only chance he had left for winning in this situation was by doing something a little wreckless.

Sakura lunged at Kabuto again, but this time Kabuto lunged as well. Ducking to the side so that her kunai missed him, Kabuto came around and landed a hand on her lower back.

Sakura felt a familiar burning sensation, and she knew that once again she had been hit with that torturing juitsu. Slashing at his face, she cut a tiny wound into Kabuto's skin before he leapt backwards to a halt.

"You know what that was...." said Kabuto.

Sakura was silent. This was the worst thing that could possibly happen. She was miles from Konoha and even though she had learnt about the juitsu, there was no way she could perform such a procedure if it was on her back.

_Baka..._ Sakura said to herself. She couldn't believe she got hit by that again.

Kabuto stood up straight, completely putting his guard down.

"In time, you know what will happen, but this time there will be no Tsunade to save you," said Kabuto. "The baby is slowly going to die as blood is being drawn away from it... I'd say you have an hour...."

Sakura glared at Kabuto, but mostly she was pissed off at herself. Thanks to her being pregnant, she was unable to dodge as quickly as she could have, which was all Kabuto needed to land that punch.

Sakura's fists were clenched but she calmed herself and stood up straight to think. Ino hadn't learnt about the juitsu, so even if she went back there would be no hope. There was only one option she had left, and that was that she had to go with Kabuto.

"Good girl...." said Kabuto. "Shall we?"

Sakura looked up at Kabuto in utter disgust. To be forced to rely on him was the last thing in the world she thought she'd be doing. The thought of it made her sick to her stomach, but even more sick to think that no one was going to know where she went. As she stood there knowing what she needed to do, her feet were still reluctant in making a move.

Sakura and Kabuto suddenly felt an imminent presence. Not thinking, their reaction was to disappear into the trees, moments before a squad appeared where they had been fighting.

As Sakura looked over at the shinobi inspecting the scene, her mind was rampant with thoughts of how this would turn out. She could leave a bread crumb trail, but the shinobi would find it and follow her, and she didn't know if it would last long enough for her comrades to find. It would only cause trouble as Kabuto would no doubt find out about it, and there was no telling what he might do to her. He might just choose to leave her behind to die. In the rush of things, Sakura knew that there was nothing she could do to signal her friends in their direction and would have to leave without.

_Still... _she thought, _at least I have a few months time. Let's just hope they pick up my trail.  
_

Kabuto remained in the tree next to her, watching her every move and listening to her every breath. If she were to make a noise at that moment, he knew she would be lost to him. However, Kabuto stood there and waited to see what would happen. Whether Sakura chose to stay or not, she would need his help in order for her and the baby to survive. That alone would decide the outcome.

Sakura turned and nodded to Kabuto, confirming her position on the matter. As Kabuto turned around to make his escape, Sakura did not need to be told to follow, and quietly left the battleground behind.

* * *

A half hour passed before Kabuto and Sakura came to a halt. Signaling to her to turn around, Sakura did as he commanded and put her hands against a tree to steady herself.

As the burning sensation became warm with chakura, Sakura followed the bark of the tree before her with her eyes, daydreaming as to what might happen when she sees Orochimaru.

"I'm only slowing it down," said Kabuto. "This should hold it off until we reach Sound."

"Still conducting business out of there are we? Haven't you found a new location yet?" said Sakura sarcastically.

"Hmph. I'm sure you'll be happy to see Sasuke again. He's been much more temperamental since he lost you."

Sakura held her breath at the sound of his name. It was bad enough to have become his brother's lover, but now she'd have to tell him that she's his fiance, along with the fact that she's having his child.

"Somehow Uncle Sasuke just doesn't fit," said Sakura, trying to keep the image that they were not on good terms.

"No, but at least the kid will have someone to teach him."

The thought had crossed Sakura's mind before. If Itachi and Sasuke were not in the picture, how would she, Haruno Sakura, teach an Uchiha how to fight like an Uchiha if she herself wasn't one. It would definitely be a soul-searching kind of life for the kid.

"I'm done, let's move."

* * *

As the days passed, the weather got colder and damper. Sakura could feel her throat beginning to ache as her body was put to the test. Moving constantly was not an easy task for someone already exhausted, but Kabuto seemed to be wary of the matter and kept a slow pace.

The forest seemed to feel different as Kabuto and Sakura crossed the border into Sound Country. Somehow it seemed a bit darker and ominous, and Sakura began to recall the first time she had been there with Jiraiya and Naruto. She remembered the people they had befriended and wondered if they had regained control, but judging by the fact that Orochimaru was still based in the region, she knew they hadn't.

Sakura's attention turned back to Kabuto as she noticed that the distance between them suddenly grew.

_We must be close..._ thought Sakura. _He's picked up his pace._

Sakura was right. It was not before long when she had to come to a sudden halt as Kabuto stopped suddenly on a branch in front of her.

Taking the moment to catch her breath, Sakura rubbed her hands over her belly and stared up at the sky to check the weather. As she watched the clouds move, her mind relaxed as she had not thought of anything else but travelling these past couple of hours.

Sakura's attention turned to Kabuto as she heard him shift. Turning around, Kabuto began to speak.

"I don't need to tell you how quick-tempered Sasuke is under anger. I am warning you now...."

Sakura was surprised. Kabuto had the utmost look of seriousness in his eyes.

".... Do not anger him.... I may not be able to stop him...."

Sakura's heart sank. Even though Sasuke had helped her the last time, he was still with the enemy, and by choice. The thought of it was still painful as she remembered how she could not reason with him to return with her, a thought that still lingered as she felt that she did not do enough to persuade him. It was like disappointing Naruto for the second time when she had the chance to talk him out of leaving and failed to do so.

Sakura nodded to Kabuto, who nodded in return. Her acknowledgment was comforting as he knew that if anything happened, it'd be he who stood between them. The last thing he wanted was provocation to make things worse than they already were. Turning back around, Kabuto leapt down to the forest floor as Sakura followed suit.

The two of them were silent as they entered into an area of the forest where the trees were thickest. The smell of dampened earth coupled with the surroundings looked to Sakura as being almost unnatural. Soon she found herself in an area where the sky was almost completely blacked out, and ahead of her she could make out a black hole in the ground.

"Don't you ever get tired of being underground?" asked Sakura.

"Of course..." replied Kabuto as he made his way down the steps into the hole.

Sakura put her hands on her belly and carefully made her way down the mossy steps. As she followed behind Kabuto, Sakura looked around him to see that there were tiny candles that lined the walls ahead. Every time she and Kabuto passed them they would flicker with the slightest disturbance. The air was stagnant and smelt strongly of mildew, almost choking the very air that Sakura breathed. Mold can be quite harmful, and Sakura wondered if it would affect her pregnancy.

_What a horrible feeling it is to be surrounded by earth..._ thought Sakura as she saw more light from up ahead.

Kabuto and Sakura stepped out into a huge hall. The juitsu carved walls with intricate designs looked thicker than they were as the candles cast light at an angle upon their lines. As Kabuto came to a stop in the center of the room, Sakura pulled up closely behind him, nervous as to how this was going to go down.

Sakura perked her ears as she listened to the moisture drip from the ceiling. Soon she heard a faint echo that turned into the sound of footsteps approaching. Judging by the sound, they belonged to two people, and Sakura knew whose feet they were.

Sakura's palms were sweaty and her heartbeat picked up. The sound of footsteps were getting louder and she could now make out shadows coming from the hallway on her far left. Every step they took the shadows got bigger and Sakura's breath got weaker. By the time the two individuals reached the hall, Sakura wasn't breathing.

Sasuke looked over to Kabuto who at first looked like he was alone. A double-take made him notice what looked like an extra pair of feet. Sasuke stopped.

"Are we having visitors now, Kabuto?" asked Sasuke.

"Orochimaru-sama?" said Kabuto, ignoring Sasuke's question.

Orochimaru who walked beside Sasuke looked like the weaker person while standing next to the young Uchiha, but even though this was so, Kabuto was still more afraid of repercussions from him rather than the younger one.

Orochimaru paused just ahead of the Uchiha, and turned sideways to look at him. It was a preparation that was needed beforehand, an establishment that had to be made.

"Sasuke...." began Orochimaru.

The fact that both were in knowledge of the visitor alerted Sasuke as to why he was not told.

".... Before you fly off the handle, let me warn you.... She is not to be killed."

Orochimaru's look of warning startled Sasuke though he did not show it. Somehow, he knew what was coming next.

Sasuke looked over to Kabuto who then took a half a step sideways. Before he saw her face, Sasuke recognized her pink hair as she came into view.

"Sakura..." said Sasuke, trying not to reveal the grief in his voice, but before he could react further, Orochimaru stepped in.

"Sasuke, do NOT kill her," he commanded.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He had finally distinguished between the shadows and Sakura's dark clothing.

_She's pregnant... _thought Sasuke to himself.

Sasuke's eyes were locked on to how big she was.

_.... She must have been pregnant when I last saw her...._

Sasuke stared at Sakura and walked slowly over to her. His menacing features and cold expression made Sakura retreat backwards, so far that she soon ran her back up against the wall. As Kabuto and Orochimaru watched the scene unfold, they were reluctant to anger the Uchiha, but trusted that he would not kill her.

Sakura stood there breathless and with her hands held up in front of her chest. Somehow the killing intent from him was so strong, and it startled her as she thought he would be at the very least, reserved and stern.

In a flash of a light Sasuke drew his sword and stabbed Sakura straight through her left shoulder. Sakura yelped as the blade came to a sudden stop when it hit the wall behind her. Sakura by instinct grasped the blade in her hands, trying to steady it but cutting herself at the same time. She threw her head up and screamed in agony as Sasuke twisted the blade, his Sharingan activated and glaring in her face. His expression was stone cold but his eyes were piercing her soul. It was as if he was soaking the look of her anguished face into his memory.

A hand suddenly appeared on Sasuke's shoulder and yanked him back, leaving the blade pinning Sakura to the wall. As Sasuke quickly regained his footing, he saw Kabuto standing between him and his victim. The look on Kabuto's face reflected Orochimaru's behind him, and though neither of them yelled or hurt him for it, Sasuke knew that was the farthest he could go.

"She'll live..." said Sasuke placidly.

Kabuto glared at Sasuke before turning to Sakura. Grabbing the hilt, Kabuto pulled the sword out of Sakura with one motion. Turning back to Sasuke, he held the sword out for him to take back.

Sasuke sheathed his sword and turned to walk away, but although his face still showed anger, his senses were focused on Sakura's whimpers behind him. He didn't look at Orochimaru as he passed him on his way back down the hall, nor did he look back to see Sakura who had slid down to the ground. The only thing he did though, was clench his fist in agony.

"Fucking kid," mumbled Kabuto as he crouched down to begin healing Sakura, but before he could focus his chakura, Sakura already had her hand up to heal it herself.

The look she gave Kabuto said, "don't even touch me," something which Kabuto didn't mind to oblige. Grabbing her right arm, Kabuto pulled her up and led her towards another hallway. As Sakura healed herself as they went, she looked over to Orochimaru's pale face and grimaced.

"Fuck you," she said.


	17. Chapter 17

Ino sat fidgeting on a blanket in the bedroom, desperately trying to warm herself as the cold floor offered no help. Her legs were crossed and her feet turned upward so that her thighs warmed them. Two weeks had passed since Sakura had escaped, and she was so confused and lost as to where the rest of her team were. She hoped that she hadn't been abandoned or forgotten.

_Come on guys, there's only one fucking Kumogakure..._thought Ino.

The past weeks had left Ino with a lot of time to think. Mostly, she thought about Sai, Kisame, and Deidara. She was lonely and depressed, so the only thing she could do was reminisce in the little attention that she had in this shinobi life. Fantasies danced in her head at the naughty things that could've happened between these three fellows, and she was a teensy bit jealous that Sakura got to live out hers to some extent.

So far Ino didn't have any plan that was worth considering in terms of her escape, and risking such a thing would shorten Sakura's time to get back to Konoha. There was no distraction, no trees surrounding the house, nothing but the infrequent knocks at the front door from the shinobi bringing her food and supplies. All Ino could do was hold out as long as she could to buy Sakura some extra time, and just wait until an opportunity showed itself. As a shinobi she was taught that sometimes simply waiting can present a solution to a problem, but in waiting so long, Ino finally felt that feeling of being an incubator that Sakura had lived with these past months.

Ino mumbled and scratched at the bowl's ridges that surrounded her belly. She didn't want to risk getting caught, so she only took it off when she was showering. The result: her stomach having a red-ringed O that was itchy as fuck, and on the verge of chafing.

"Eeeew...." mumbled Ino as she scratched.

_I'm cold, itchy, and horny... what the hell could possibly be worse?_

_Knock! Knock!_

Ino heard the front door slide open and footsteps tracking through the living room. Stunned by the sudden entrance, Ino quickly checked herself to make sure nothing was sticking out that shouldn't be.

Yoshii appeared in the doorway, stern and impatient. He looked irritated somewhat and stared down at her as if she were a nuisance. Recognizing that he may distinguish who she really was, Ino tilted her head a bit downward so that her bangs fell in her face in contempt of whatever he was about to say.

"Get up," said Yoshii. "We're going for a doctor's check-up."

"I'm a medical nin. What do you want to know?" asked Ino.

Yoshii didn't seem as patient as he was before. Grabbing her harshly by the arm, he yanked her up on her feet and led her out of the room.

Ino was worried. She knew what they were doing. The fact that they were taking her to a doctor and not bringing the doctor to her meant that there was something holding them back, and that something was the ultrasound machine. Afterall, it's not like they could haul the thing over there.

The problem that Ino and Sakura could not solve was how to fake the vital signs of the baby, something which they couldn't produce. They had expected it to happen at some point, but just not so soon. Still, that was the least bit of Ino's troubles. The ultrasound meant only one thing, and that was that the shinobi were going to see how far along Sakura was so that they would know when to cut her open. The thought made Ino sneer at the cruelty of it all, but it didn't surprise her. The shinobi that watched over her were wasting their time by having to stay behind on missions, and it was probably costing the village to some extent.

As Ino was led down the front steps and towards the main road, she was relieved to know that Sakura was now far away from here.

_Two weeks... she must be at least past the borders by now, _thought Ino.

Ino was about to hit the dirt of the main road, when another hand grabbed her other arm.

"I'll take her, Sempai," said Sasaki as he pulled her towards him.

Ino held her breath. The last thing she needed was for someone to cut her time in half. So, turning her head slightly away, Ino tried to keep her hair blocking him from view.

As they traipsed down the road, Ino's feet kicked up the dirt as it was weird trying to walk with someone attached to her while trying to hide. She was sure that he must've noticed it, but after a quarter mile down the road she began to relax to try and make things seem normal.

The smell of the fresh mountain air coupled with the crisp feeling of the warm sun renewed Ino's spirit as she let Sasaki lead the way. She smelt the hint of vegetables and dirt on the breeze, and it reminded her of the marketplace back at home. Ino sighed at the thought of home, and she missed Shikamaru and Chouji. Being without the two was almost unnatural. Wherever she went, there they were. Even when she had trained to become a medical nin, she always looked to them for reassurance. She always knew she was safe because they were there to watch over her, and she over them. Taking a studdered breath, Ino's moment of peaceful thoughtfulness made her not notice what was about to happen.

A sudden breeze picked up and brushed back her hair. In that brief moment, Sasaki saw something he wasn't sure he saw. Stopping her in the middle of the road, the other shinobi guarding them became alarmed as well.

Sasaki whipped Ino around to face him, so she threw her head forward slightly to get her hair to block her face. Still, that didn't stop Ino from instinctively looking at him in the eyes. The moment she did, the jig was up. Sasaki grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. There, he found himself staring into Ino's big blue eyes that resembled the ocean on a calm day. It was such a clear blue that you could see straight to the bottom, straight to her soul.

"Ino?...." said Sasaki.

"What?" said Yoshii from behind her, coming from the rear in a storm.

Grabbing a hold of Ino's arm Yoshii spun her around and ran his fingers through her bangs, ripping them back so hard that she winced in pain. It didn't compare though as Ino felt a fist come down hard on the left side of her face. The next thing she knew, she was eating the dirt with what felt like a foot on her back. The pressure of her weight broke the bowl beneath her, and the hard plastic stabbed and cut into her stomach as Ino braced herself for what she knew was coming next.

A swift kick dug into Ino's ribs. If it were any harder she swore it would have cracked them. Ino got to her knees in an effort to get away, but as soon as she did another shinobi's foot shoved her head back down to let Yoshii finish his beating.

"WHERE IS SHE!?!" yelled Yoshii as he dealt another kick. "TELL ME OR I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU WHERE YOU LAY!!!!"

Ino lay there with her eyes closed letting barely a peep out as she fought to keep her dignity. She balled her hands into fists by her head for protection and tucked her elbows in, only to have them struck by Yoshii's shoes as well. The beating went on for what seemed like forever, and eventually he stopped, but only when he knew that she wasn't going to talk.

"Take her out and kill her," said Yoshii, brushing his hand through his hair in agitation. "I have to tell Raikage-sama."

Ino's lip and brow were bleeding and the side of her head was throbbing. As the world seemed like it would never stop spinning, she felt two shinobi grab each of her arms and drag her away. The only thing that Ino could make out was the occasional stone that her foot ran over as her feet made a two-lined trail down the road. She didn't bother to look up to see where she was going as her ribs were so tender that it made the rest of her body go limp in agony. She was hoping to figure something out while at the hospital, but it seemed that her escape time was seriously depleted as she was now being led to her doom. At that moment though, she didn't care. She just hurt too much to even think about it.

_They won't kill me here... Not so close to the village..._thought Ino. _I'll wait to see where they take me before fighting back._

Sasaki followed behind Ino, dumbfounded as to what to say or how to react. Had he known, he may not have reacted the way he did. Now he had condemned her to her death and regretted it.

"Sasaki!" yelled Yoshii. "Stay here with me."

Sasaki stopped and looked back at Yoshii. Unable to help himself he turned to look back at Ino being dragged away, and he watched as the two meanest looking shinobi of the bunch tightened their grips, knowing that there was nothing he could do for her now. As he turned his back to her, he felt like hell was going to burn him for this sin, for not protecting someone who protected her friend from a worse fate. Sasaki bit his tongue and forced himself to move forward, forbidding himself to look back. Instead, he just stared at the back of Yoshii's head as he followed him to see the Raikage, letting the sound of Ino spitting blood drift away.

* * *

Somewhere along the way, Ino had passed out under the weight of the pain. When she finally came to, her arms were throbbing under the harsh grasp of her shinobi executioners, and she could hear the sound of her feet dragging. Finally having gotten the strength to look up, Ino found that they were no longer in the village, but rather in a ravine.

Suddenly her executioners released her arms and she fell hard to the floor. The dirt and rock she landed on stuck to her bleeding lip and brow. Opening her eyes narrowly, Ino tried not to get any of it in her eyes. She couldn't have opened it any later however, as a foot suddenly made contact with her face.

Ino's hair whipped as the force flipped her onto her back. Opening her eyes, she saw a foot coming down to stomp on her face. Before it got there however, Ino spotted her escape by instinct, and used her mind juitsu to reach the other shinobi who stood at her feet.

Ino's mind transferred into the shinobi who was watching the scene. Her mind came into view through the Cloud shinobi just as she saw her own body getting trampled on. Whipping out a kunai, Ino dug forward and killed the one who kicked her. As he looked at her in confusion, his eyes slowly glazed over in his last breath, having finally understood what had happened. Yanking hard to get the kunai out of her victim, she watched him fall to the ground in a growing pool of blood.

_My hair!,_ thought Ino, watching the pool make its way towards her locks that lay strewn on the ground. _Ick! It's bad enough I'm covered with my own blood and dirt! Gross!!!_

Ino leapt over and dragged her body away from the corpse just as the blood was about to soak her hair.

_Good KAMI that was close! ... Now to take care of this one..._

Ino looked around and found a high enough ledge. Climbing up onto it, she took the blood covered kunai and directed it at her heart. Slowly stepping over the edge, Ino took a deep breath before letting herself fall so that the kunai would stab into her. Moments before she hit the ground, Ino released her juitsu and returned her mind to her body. As the feel of her own body creeped back in, so did the sound of the other body making impact on the ground near her feet.

"Ow!!!" complained Ino as she put a hand over her throbbing face. "Maybe I should have waited a bit longer for the pain to stop booming!!!"

Using one hand to cup her head as the other braced her as she got up from the ground, Ino in that brief period of being out of harm's way did not realize that the shinobi she so effortlessly tried to kill had suddenly peeked at her. Apparently when Ino released her juitsu, the newly released hand that held the kunai had given way and ended up merely falling sideways as the shinobi impacted the ground. It had taken a moment for him to regain conciousness, but he wasn't stupid enough to not make a move until he knew what had happened.

Ino stretched her back as she looked out over the forests below. It seemed that Kumogakure did have a place on the side for executions afterall, but it was just too bad that it didn't include her in the mix. Swinging her arms left to right, Ino loosened up for the journey downhill. It was going to be long, and it was going to be much more difficult as she didn't know the layout of the land. She didn't know if sentries awaited her or nothing at all.

_Too bad they didn't drag me down the mountain.... _thought Ino._ It would've been much easier to escape._

Either way, Ino was happy in the knowledge that she finally found her own way out. Giving her legs a good stretch, everything seemed fine as the shinobi she thought she made suicide decided to take this opportunity to finish his assignment. Taking out several shuriken, the shinobi aimed at Ino's vital points before releasing his weapon to greet her flesh.

The pain that stung Ino shocked her so suddenly that she didn't even turn around. She could feel the warm blood that now trickled down her back, pool at the top of her pants. The worst of the damage however, was the two shuriken now lodged in the back of her knees. Regaining her wits, Ino turned slowly in agony to face the shinobi who now stood before her. His face was angry and the kunai he had fallen on was now in his hands. As he approached her slowly, she thought to escape, but she knew she'd cut the nerves on the backs of her knees if she made a big motion, rendering herself an invalid in the middle of a fight. If she tried to reach down and pull the shuriken out, he would no doubt end her life before she could.

Ino stood there watching the shinobi make his way towards her. The thought of using her juitsu crossed her mind, but he'd dodge it with ease if she tried, making her miss and not returning to her body before he got the chance to finish her off. The only thing she could do now was try and counter his attack point blank, creating just enough time to reach down and pull the shuriken out. All she had to do in that very moment, was stand there and act nonthreatening as he came closer.

The shinobi suddenly leaped over her head and appeared behind her. At that point she knew it was over, so she might as well just dodge regardless. However, just as the muscles in her legs tightened to move, an unknown force of nature made her freeze on the spot.

_BOOM!_

Ino heard a loud crash behind her and felt bits of rock pelt her back. She tried to turn to look, but she still had no control over her movement. That's when she realized what was happening.

_Thank Kami...._thought Ino as she shut her eyes, tears warming her from within.

Taking a deep breath, Ino steadied herself so that the tears didn't overflow before opening them to find Chouji standing before her. Ino smiled at Chouji who smiled back.

"I missed you guys," whispered Ino, looking at him gratefully.

"Mendokuse..." sighed Shikamaru from behind her.

"We came especially for you," said Chouji. "I'm going to take the shuriken out. I am sorry if this hurts."

Ino smiled warmly. Chouji had always treated her like she was a girl rather than a shinobi, but it wasn't like he was treating her as if she were weak or anything. He knew she could take a punch and then some, but he gave her the common courtesies that not many kunoichi enjoyed. Many shinobi acted as if the old rules were exempt, never opening doors or letting a kunoici walk first if ever they came across an obstacle blocking their path, simply because the kunoichi could kick some ass. The Akimichi Clan was known for going out of their way to teach their boys how to become gentlemen. Chouji's father was no exception, having lead by example and snagging his beautiful and loving wife. It almost seemed that it was necessary when the clan majored in eating food at an alarming and even scary rate.

Ino watched as Chouji walked around to her back and listened to him kneeling down. When the sharp pain of the shuriken being ripped out had subsided, she was more surprised by what happened next.

_Healing chakura?_... thought Ino.

Ino could feel the cuts warm and heal as she was locked into place by Shikamaru's juitsu. He was holding her still so that she didn't damage any more of her nerves. Still, she didn't know which medical nin they brought with them.

When the healing was over, Ino felt Shikamaru release her. As she stood up straight she shook out her legs to get all the feeling back. Turning around, her jaw dropped as she saw who it was who had healed her.

"Shizune!" gasped Ino. "Bu-but, why did you come all the way out here!?! Don't you have to be watching over Tsunade-sama?"

"I am..." said Shizune.

Ino's jaw dropped and she looked as if she were turning pale before them. She knew she was going to get yelled at. Looking every which way, she didn't see Tsuande, so she felt safe for the time being. Taking in as to what had happened to the shinobi who was about to kill her, she didn't see much of him, as his body had been smashed into the side of the mountain with what looked like a huge handprint.

"Wow.... Arigatou, Chouji," said Ino as she stared at the giant handprint.

"Are you okay?" Chouji asked.

Ino turned and smiled to him. "Mmm!" she replied. In the next moment she leapt forward and dealt her childhood friends the biggest hug she could muster. Shikamaru looked disturbed, but Chouji blushed a pink hew.

Ino's saviors were grateful that they had arrived just in time, but what was even more important at the moment was the coming onslaught. Climbing up the sides of the ravine, they continued on until they reached the highest peak nearest to them. There, Ino found Tsunade looking out over Kumogakure. Kakashi, Naruto, Kisame, and Itachi were by her side.

Ino took a double-take when she cast her eyes on the back of Tsunade. The sandals that normally graced Tsunade's feet were replaced with the standard shinobi footwear, and she was wearing a jounin outfit. The only thing that remained of her normal clothing was the green robe that she only took off in a serious fight. The dressing did not bode well to Ino.

"Ino!" said Tsunade without even turning to face her.

"Hai!"

"Where's Sakura?"

"We managed to get her to escape.... She should have arrived in Konoha about a week ago..." said Ino, becoming worried. "When did you leave?"

"Six days ago...." said Tsunade with an air of disturbance. "She never made it...."

"Well, they don't have her here, otherwise I would have been dead by now."

Ino looked over at Itachi who looked back at her. She could not tell by his expression that the news of Sakura's current whereabouts bothered him, but there was no mistaking that the situation was bad, especially since they didn't know of any other shinobi in the area. What Ino was confused about however, was why Tsuande was here, and why they were still sitting there staring at Kumogakure when they should be commencing their search for Sakura.

"Why..." began Ino. "....Why did you come Tsunade-sama? It's not like the Hokage to come out for only one person, even if that person is...."

"...Before we leave..." cut in Tsunade. "....there is something that as the Hokage, I must do to make things clear...."

Ino didn't like the sound of that. Tsunade was using her tone that she only uses when she was really pissed. It's that calm and cool voice that makes threats that you know are going to be carried out. The kind of threat that Ino never wished to be on the other side of.

"Let's go..." said Tsunade, standing up straight.

Before Ino knew it, she was watching the others follow her tread, but as she made to follow as well, Kisame held up his hand and stopped her.

"You stay here with us," Kisame said as he watched them go. "This is going to be interesting...."


	18. Chapter 18

Tsunade strode into Kumogakure with the other Konoha shinobi behind her. Her walk was not a strut, but rather the walk she used when she was going to make her intent known. As they breached the outskirts of the village, the children who played in the street stopped to stare at the spectacle.

"Mom!" Tsunade could hear the kid shout. She knew it would not be long until the Cloud shinobi would rear their ugly heads.

Soon they were well into the main area of the village, stopping the shinobi who were off-duty dead in their tracks. Naruto puffed his chest, vying to push his weight around as much as possible. Kakashi however, walked with his hands in his pockets, the regular lazy look in his eye had now turned into a furrowed brow that threatened anyone who dared to near them as he looked on ahead.

All shinobi who looked on froze at the spectacle. Never had they seen such a formidable sight. As they sized up their intruders, they were stricken with fear as their eyes made their way from the Copy Nin's signature silver hair and covered eye, down to the symbols of the Nara and Akimichi Clan. The most astonishing symbol of all though, was the word "Gamble" that graced the back of Tsunade's green coat. By that time, word of the Hokage's attire had become something of a funny topic in conversations.

"It's the Hokage!" could be heard in loud whispers that echoed through the crowd. Everyone who stood there watching as they walked past did not dare to move out of fear of being taken down. Such a presence in the village only meant one thing, and that was that this was to be handled by the Raikage himself.

"It's the Raikage!" came a shout from ahead of the crowd that stood before Tsunade. Shuffles could be heard as the villagers cleared a path. It was not before long that Naruto and the others found the Raikage himself blocking their path.

"That's the Raikage!" shouted Naruto as he laid eyes on him. "His face looks like a Kabuki mask!"

It was true. The mustache and goatee made the Raikage look like an old mask that Kabuki dancers wore. It was hard for Naruto to take someone, even the Raikage, seriously if they looked like that. The comment made the Cloud shinobi growl at him, but they knew better than to leap into action. Naruto, having noticed that he let his tongue slip again, sweat bricks as he felt hundreds of killing intents all at once.

"So..." began the Raikage. "To what honor do I owe the presence of the Hokage in my village?"

Tsunade remained quiet, as did the others. Slowly the air around them began to swirl with what felt like chakura, and a sudden flash of lighting above made the funny-looking Raikage, more eery like a ghost than an older man. The villagers stared at the group from Konoha with faces of warning, warnings that their Raikage was not to be trifled with. Still, Tsunade kept her eyes locked on her target, determined to finish her personal mission as Hokage.

"I have a message for you..." began Tsunade. "... A message on behalf of not only my country, but the others as well...."

Tsunade suddenly leapt forward and slammed a bright blue fist into the earth right where the Raikage had stood. The single crack exploded the ground surrounding them, swallowing each and every villager that stood there watching as the earth rose and fell into a deep crater that circled around her group. As the Raikage leapt backward he watched the ravine grow endlessly as the Hokage and her comrades were circumferenced with the fifty-yard-wide emptiness. When the dust had finally settled and the cries of the villagers below were silenced with shock, the Raikage saw that she had blasted the earth with so much chakura that all the villagers including the buildings that surrounded them, were caught in what looked like soft powdered earth. Everything and everyone was still intact, and the villagers looked around at one another with surprise on their faces at still being alive. The Raikage's face could not hide the shock of such a sight, and it was then that Tsunade chose to speak.

"RAIKAGE!...." began Tsunade in such a harsh tone that reverberated across the gap between them. The sound of it made everyone below feel as if they were being skinned alive.

"I come as a messenger to your stupid deeds.... The next time you feel like a full-scale attack upon any of the other four great shinobi villages, think twice.... As the Raikage, I expect you to have a higher standard for protecting the peace that we are now so blessed to enjoy. Peace does not make a village soft, but ever the stronger in protecting it. To risk that peace for such a stupid reason will cost you more than just your village...."

At that moment, a voice was heard from behind the Raikage.

"It's the Mizukage!!" came a shout.

Turning around, the Raikage's eye twitched as he spotted the Mizukage's robes moving towards him. Behind him was a legion of Kirigakure's finest shinobi.

"An alliance?!" whispered the Raikage.

"NO....." answered Tsunade. "....but there will be if you continue your ways."

The Mizukage stopped several yards away from the Raikage, determined to let Tsunade do the talking as Konoha was the deciding factor in this situation. Konoha was the bigger opponent. Without them, a takeover of Kumogakure would not be possible.

"...Raikage... If you wish to keep your country and not have it renamed as 'Fire and Water', I suggest you keep in mind that we will crush you if you ever pull a stunt like that again. Jeopardizing the balance and throwing the countries into full-scale war again will not bode well if you try to make alliances in such an event... You have been warned...."

Tsunade gave the Raikage a look that sent chills down his back.

".... I only ever give one warning...."

With that, Tsunade looked at the Mizukage who gave her a nod in agreement. Turning around, Tsunade paused to let Kakashi form hand signals that shot the earth up in front of them up, making a path that bridged the gap to go back the way they came. As the others went before her, Tsunade stopped to look over her shoulder at the Raikage, her green robe flapping in the wind.

"....only one...."

* * *

As Ino watched her comrades come back into view, she was so shocked that she couldn't say a word. They had just walked into Kumogakure and walked out _alive._ There could nothing in this life of hers that would ever surpass the amazing event that just happened. There was just no way.

Stepping aside to make room for her shishou to pass through, she stiffened as Tsunade stopped when she reached her.

"Ino...." said Tsunade.

Ino gulped.

"Are you alright?"

Ino sighed a deep relief.

"Hai, shishou."

"Good.... NOW GO AND GET SAKURA BACK!!!!!"

Ino felt her brain drop into her throat and her heart into her stomach. The sudden spur of fierceness shocked even Kisame. He never knew that the Hokage was such a scary woman.

"H-Hai!!! Shishou!!!" yelled Ino, bowing low.

"Kakashi...." said Tsunade.

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

"If Sakura does not make it back, I will be holding you responsible."

Kakashi did not twitch, but everyone knew that his insides had just melted.

"As for you," said Tsunade to Itachi. "....follow me...."

Everyone stared in silence as she led Itachi to a spot well out of earshot of the others. When she was sure that the wind would not carry their words, Tsunade leaned against a rock and began to talk.

"Itachi.... before I let you go running off to save your new fiance, there are some things that I would like to know...."

Itachi knew this was coming. He knew that he couldn't be around them long without raising these kinds of questions.

".... things specific to the Uchiha Clan...."

* * *

By the time Tsunade had returned with Itachi behind her, she had a disturbed look on her face as she bit her thumb the way she always did when something troubled her. Everyone could see that whatever it was that Itachi had said, surely it was something that they all wanted to hear but knew better than to ask.

While Tsunade busied herself in whatever back room she kept her thoughts in, the group had taken to staring at the village for entertainment. It seemed that the new intrusion had made something of a hustle and bustle of the villagers, who were currently performing earth juitsus to restore their buildings' locations.

"Oh! Oh! There goes one!" shouted Kisame as he focused in on a juitsu that tilted a building the wrong way, causing it to fall back into the pit. Luckily someone had caught the mistake and corrected the angle just in time, leaving Kisame somewhat disappointed.

"Awww..... too bad," said Kisame with a pout.

Sitting a bit away from the group, Ino's old team of Shikamaru and Chouji sat in a huddle of serious discussion.

"So, Ino, what have you seen of these two so far?" asked Shikamaru.

As Ino recounted all the skills that she had seen Kisame and Itachi perform, she could see Shikamaru's eyes sharpen and calculate, taking in everything she said and computing it.

"Amazing..." said Chouji as he listened. "It's no wonder they are Akatsuki."

"Still.... they've saved my neck more than once.... especially Kisame," said Ino, looking over to the Shark Man getting a kick out of the villagers' failed attempts at restoration. "I nearly drowned back there.... So, what's the plan? Are you guys going back to Konoha or are your going to come with us?"

"That's for Tsunade-sama to decide," explained Shikamaru. "There's actually a lot more shinobi heading back to Konoha right now. Did you think we came here with just this many shinobi?"

Ino shook her head. She had thought as much. There was no way that Tsunade would come out to greet the Raikage in his own village without taking the proper precautions in securing her return. Leaving the village without a Hokage was something that they all did not want to experience again.

"Ino...." called Tsunade.

"Hai!"

"Tell us what happened with Sakura."

As Ino recounted the events that took place after she and Sakura had last been in contact with the others, everyone remained silent and in awe that the girls managed to pull something as risky as Sakura's escape in her condition. They laughed at the thought of Ino being stuck with a bowl to her belly, but that quickly changed as she told them how it got crushed beneath her body when she got beaten up by Yoshii. Chouji certainly didn't seem too pleased.

"So, where do we go from here?" asked Ino.

Tsunade looked at Kakashi, who shook his head.

"It's been two weeks Tsunade-sama. Whatever trace of her that was left would have died a week ago," said Kakashi with a sigh.

"Do you think she was recaptured or decided to change her route?" asked Chouji.

"No.... Sakura and I both knew that she couldn't take long trying to get back while being pregnant. She's too close to giving birth to be straining herself out in the wild. Her best bet was to make a bee line for Konoha," explained Ino. "Somehow though, I have a bad feeling about all this. What should we do?"

Tsunade looked at the rest who were trying to think of ideas.

"We need information," said Tsunade. "There's no way we can make a move without knowing which direction to go. I might as well order you all home..."

The thought struck the others with devastation. Naruto was the first to speak out.

"Give up!?! After all that we've been through! You want us to go home and give up!?!" shouted Naruto angrily.

"Naruto!" yelled Tsunade. "You know that it is a waste of time to go running around the entire continent looking for her. The best we can do now is head back to Konoha and try to see if we can gather any information from the other squads."

"....I'm not going home until I find Sakura-chan...." said Naruto with eyes burning with determination. ".... Not even you can stop me, Baa-chan..."

Tsunade sighed. She didn't like being made the bad guy. Still, as Hokage it is her duty to make sure that unnecessary actions were avoided. The country could not afford to have their shinobi being renegade when they were desperately needed back at home. Her decision was made for her and not by her. Standing up straight, she prepared to use that commanding tone when suddenly she was interrupted.

"Why don't you try where she last was?" said an unknown voice.

Everyone pulled out a kunai in a heartbeat, startled as they didn't know who this person was. What was more was that they didn't sense his approach.

"Sasaki?..." asked Ino as she got up from her seat. "What are you doing here?"

When the others realized that he was not a threat, they lowered their weapons and began to size up this new acquaintance. It seemed that he was quite skillful to be sneaking up on them like that.

"I came to tell your comrades about you, but I see you made it out just fine...." said Sasaki, relieved that she was still alive.

"You know where Sakura was last?" asked Ino.

Sasaki nodded his head.

"That night we thought you escaped, there was a battle that took place at the base of the mountain where they first brought you in. By the time our shinobi got there however, whoever had participated in that battle was long gone, as well as the person they were fighting with. There were no dead bodies and not much blood. I think it might have involved your friend as there was no reason for a battle not involving Cloud shinobi to have taken place so close to the village," reasoned Sasaki. "Sakura may have been taken...."

Kakashi stood up and walked over to Sasaki.

"Lead us to it...."

* * *

When the group reached the bottom of the mountain, they followed Sasaki to the place that he had spoke of. Upon arrival however, they didn't have to get close to recognize Sakura's handiwork.

"Whoah...." said Naruto as he inspected the destruction.

"So it was her then, was it?" asked Sasaki. "This is something pretty amazing...."

Ino's heart wrenched. To think that Sakura was attacked on such short notice was worrisome. Even more so because Sasaki confirmed that the opponent was not a member of Cloud.

While Ino was busy looking over the beaten landscape, Kakashi's dogs were already summoned and running about for a scent. It didn't take long for them to come back with an answer though.

"We don't have anything on her, Kakashi," said Pakkun. "The earth has been dampened more than once by the rain. We did however, pick up another scent...."

Everyone went silent as they waited for just a hint of Sakura's whereabouts.

".....It's similar to Sakura's, but it's not hers....It's like.... It's like Sakura's smell but with a little twist."

"Could you be more precise?" asked Kakashi.

"Well, it's the smell that Sakura has only on certain occasions... Ah! It's the smell of medicine she has whenever she has recently been in the infirmary."

"Are you sure you're not smelling me or Tsunade-sama?" asked Shizune.

"No. Tsunade-sama smells of paper and sake. You smell like medicine, but also of paper.... Been burying ourselves in our job, have we?"

"Pakkun...." said Kakashi in a stern voice.

"Oh, Gomenasai.... Well, it smells like medicine and dirt....Dampened dirt and that liquid that keeps dead things from rotting...."

"Eeew!" said Ino. "Who the hell can smell like that!?!"

"...I've smelt it before," said Pakkun, his brow furrowing in memory. "I can't quite place it. It was recent though... Ah! It was that first time we chased after Sakura!"

"Medicine and dirt?.... Kabuto!" gasped Naruto.

The sound of his name made more than one person cringe, and none more than Shizune. Kisame by instinct, squeezed the hilt of his sword, hungry for a little reprieve.

"That piece of shit got his hands on Sakura?" whispered Shizune in anger. "I'll fucking scalpel him..."

"I'd hate to bring this up, but it must be highlighted," started Kakashi. "You know that there is none more willing and more certain to cut her open early..."

Shizune practically growled. The thought made her sick to the stomach. The idea of Kabuto conducting his little experiments on Sakura was enough to make the poor girl want to bite her own hand off to stench the insanity it was causing her. As she stood there with fists clenched, her anger could not match the killing intent that was emanating off of Itachi at that moment. The only person who seemed calm was Kakashi and Tsunade.

"Last I heard from Jiraiya, he didn't have a clue as to where Orochimaru was..." said Tsunade. "Itachi, does Akatsuki know of his whereabouts?"

"No," said Itachi in an almost forcefully calm voice. "The last place we picked up on him was in Sound. It's pretty obvious that he would be there, but the truth is only a select few of his most trusted shinobi know where he is. He keeps the rest in the dark and communicates to them through the others."

"So where do we begin?" asked Naruto, completely wiping out any notion that they were returning to Konoha after that piece of information. "All we need to do is get close enough with Kakashi's hounds and then circle in on them!"

Tsunade gave a look to Naruto that said, "and who said you could go?"

"Argh!!!" growled Naruto, shaking his head. "This is stupid! We're wasting time as we speak! Doesn't anyone remember that Akatsuki is on borrowed time!?! How much longer are we gonna get away with chasing after Sakura without attracting some _really_ unwanted attention!?!"

"Calm down, Naruto..." said Tsunade. "Right now I'm thinking of a game plan, but I can't do it with you screaming in my ear..."

"Hah!" gasped Naruto with a hopeful smile. "So you are letting us go!"

Tsunade didn't answer. She was already well acquainted with the fact that if you fed Naruto any more acknowledgment, he would never stop with the praises.

"Tsunade-sama, let me go!" asked Shizune.

"No.... What Sakura needs right now is those who know her best. I can't send a team that's so big that everyone will notice them traipsing through Sound, letting Orochimaru know to move Sakura out. Hmmm, I also shouldn't send anyone whose irrational behavior and big mouth will get everyone else caught, either...."

Naruto gulped hard, his foot now well lodged in his mouth.

"Baa-chan.... ONEGAISHIMASU!!!!" said Naruto loudly as he dove into a low bow.

"Hmmm...." hummed Tsunade, clearly soaking up the power she held at that moment. "Well, I guess I should send the same people, seeing as they are well acquainted with the situation at hand."

"ARIGATOU, BAA-CHAN!!!" yelled Naruto as he pumped a fist into the air. "You won't regret it! We won't fail! I swear!!!"

"You had better not...."

As they all came together to say their last goodbyes and clear up the tiny bits of their schedule, Chouji had cornered Ino off from the others.

"Ino...." began Chouji.

"I know, I know... BE CAREFUL," said Ino, rolling her eyes.

Chouji shook his head. "No.... you need to listen to me now. Ino, we will not be there to back you up.... _I_ will not be there to back you up. I know that normally you have either us or your father working with you on missions, but you are in a situation where you are not as familiar with the other team members. Please, watch your back...."

"I know that..." said Ino softly, furrowing her brow in confusion. It wasn't like Chouji to be making such a statement. Something about this time was different. Tossing it over in her mind, she remembered that she was about to face Orochimaru. Securing that knowledge in her head, Ino nodded to Chouji in reassurance.

"I'll be careful..."

Even though Chouji knew she was serious, he still couldn't shake the feeling that this time was going to be really bad. In an effort to make himself feel better, he leaned in and hugged Ino.

"Really, Chouji! I'll be fine!!" chided Ino. "I'll be back before you know it!"

Shikamaru was now standing a few feet behind Chouji. The look on his face was also one of worry. Being the leader of the three, he too felt like he needed to be there with her.

"Ano...." said a voice behind Ino.

It was Sasaki. He looked sad.

"Ino, I.... I'm sorry I didn't stop Yoshii. I know you were protecting your friend..."

Ino turned to face him and gave him a kind smile.

"I know, Sasaki. There was nothing you could do. Thank you for being so kind and hospitable to your captives. I will not forget it, should you ever be caught by Konoha," said Ino with a charming giggle.

Sasaki blushed.

As the two gave their goodbyes, Shikamaru could not help but notice that Chouji's eyes had narrowed to the width of a butterfly's wings. When Sasaki shook Ino's hand, Shikamaru thought he'd have to use his Shadow Mimic techinique to stop Chouji from charging. Even his hands moved instinctively when he saw Sasaki blush as Ino walked away. That was the moment that Chouji had actually took a step forward.

The team was now ready to part ways. The numbers were good and the skills were excellent. Giving each other their last nods of reassurance, the team that had first set out in search of Sakura, were now setting out to complete that mission.

"Give Orochimaru my best," called Tsunade after them. "Let's just hope that this time, things are really taken care of..."


	19. Chapter 19

***If you read the last chapter before 2/12/09, you might have missed the additional writing that I updated into it. It's the part where Tsunade returns with Itachi. Gomenasai for making you click back.***

* * *

The air was chilly and moist in the bedroom that Sakura now lay in. The smoke from the candlelight made her eyes burn and the smell of dampened earth made her uncomfortable. She had been left in virtual solitude since she had been led there by Kabuto. The only time she ever saw or spoke to anyone was when Kabuto came in to give her a meal. It was in the very least nutritious, being that they didn't have much in food while hiding away. At least Sakura still received vitamins to keep her health up, but she threw them all away because she wasn't sure if it was part of some experiment. Taking each of them, she slipped them one by one into the crook of the bed where the bed frame met the mattress. She just hoped that the moisture would not make them smell.

Facing in towards the wall, Sakura tried her best to keep herself mentally occupied. She thought of a hot summer day in Konoha, the Cherry Blossom festival in spring, minus the attack by Sasuke. She thought of the infirmary where she would walk the halls in the early morning, the sounds of birds filtering in as she tried to soak in the sun's rays for warmth. The smell of the dewy grass of the training grounds floated in her nostrils as the wind rustled the surrounding trees, and the sound of the ocean coupled with the smell of salty sea air made her reminisce of her time with Ojiisan and Takeru. The thought of those two made her worry. She didn't know if they were eating enough, and she didn't know if they were attacked for a third time.

_I shouldn't have gone with them..._thought Sakura guiltily. _I endangered their lives. There may not even be a fishing village now..._

After pushing guilt-ridden thoughts out of her mind, Sakura eventually made it to the object of her desire: Itachi. Sighing, Sakura let two tiny tears slip from the corner of her eyes. She felt them fall like soft petals down her face and tap her pillow. She still didn't know how they were going to be together, not when things were turning out like this. Even if they did manage to figure out who took her, there was no way they could locate her now except by some miracle. Taking an even bigger breath, Sakura rolled her face into the pillow clamped it with her hands.

_How much longer is this going to take?_

The door creaked and a foot stepped in. Sakura thought that it was Kabuto, so she pretended that she was asleep. However, when a cold clammy hand laid itself on her, she knew in an instant who it was. Snatching his wrist, she ejected chakura that killed all nerves within its reach.

_Poof!_

The clone evaporated next to Sakura and she sat up to face her enemy.

"So Sakura, how are you today?" slithered Orochimaru as he pushed open the door. "Let's take a walk."

Sakura would have liked nothing more than to break both of Orochimaru's legs before submitting him to some kind of medical torture, but she took the opportunity to get some fresh air. She had been stuck in that room but did not try even once to escape. Had she tried, there would have been things other than a human soul that would try to stop her. It didn't take much to notice the laid traps that were embedded in the walls. She had seen them on her way in and knew that they were something that required the utmost flexibility to maneuver around, something she simply didn't have at the moment. Moving her legs off the bed, Sakura got up and stretched a bit before following after him.

Side by side the two walked down the dark halls. They didn't go back the way she came in but instead went in the opposite direction. As her footsteps echoed off the walls with Orochimaru's, she matched her steps to his so that they sounded as one. She didn't know what kind of crazy stunt Sasuke was going to pull again, so she tried to mask her presence by using his.

"He's outside...." said Orochimaru, picking up on the girl's actions. "Don't worry, he won't be doing that again..."

Even though Sakura had Orochimaru's reassurance, she still wasn't going to be caught off guard this time. If Sasuke had done a one-eighty on her, she had best watch her back. She was in no condition to be fighting with him again.

As she walked with Orochimaru, Sakura began to ponder as to why Sasuke had in fact gone crazy when he saw her. Was it the pregnancy? Did he still hold a bit of hostility towards her, now fueled by the fact that she was forever marked by the man who had killed his family? Sakura had thought that everything was settled since that time they last saw each other, but then again, maybe she was wrong.

A light in the tunnel up ahead made Sakura's eyes burn and narrow in defense. As the light grew bigger, Orochimaru observed her in this moment of her slight blindness to see if her health had paled while being kept in the dark. The bags under her eyes and her sunken cheeks did not bode well to him, and he thought that maybe he should have taken her out sooner.

A dry breeze picked up and Sakura inhaled the fresh air. Though she could still smell that disgusting moss-filled cavern behind her, she refrained from charging out into the open. When she finally reached the outside world, Sakura's fingers stretched to their fullest as she sucked in all the oxygen that she could.

Orochimaru stopped and let Sakura walk forward alone. Sakura found that she was on a grassy cliff that overlooked a large waterfall that tumbled down from an even higher cliff. The warm September air bathed her skin with clean moisture and warmth as she took in the lovely scenery. Sakura watched as the leaves that fell from the tree floated down to be caught in the river's current below. Turning back to the man who watched her every move, Sakura nodded her head as Orochimaru set out an inviting hand over to a table that had food and drink set out for them beneath a tree.

Sakura's heart warmed as her eyes set upon a bowl of rice and a mackerel that was salted and grilled to perfection. There was even Tsukemono, something that she was craving ever since Ojiisan had mentioned it. The simple meal was topped off with a hot brew of loose leaf green tea.

Sakura sat down on her chair and waited for Orochimaru to do the same. Even though she hated the very thought of him, she wasn't going to let her manners be tossed aside. When he nodded to her to eat, she didn't hesitate in picking up her chopsticks and picking apart her fish. The moist and salty meat passed her lips and warmed her tongue. She then immediately dug into her rice bowl to balance the taste in her mouth with something mild. Next came the best part. Clamping some Tsukemono between the tips of her chopsticks, Sakura's eyes closed in delight as the deliciously pickled cabbage cleaned her palate and crunched with every chew. The taste of the food was too succulent of a distraction for Sakura to care that Orochimaru sat across from her. The pleasure she took in eating a good meal completely wiped out his presence.

Orochimaru studied Sakura's every move before picking up his own chopsticks. He too followed in her same actions, but he did not show any delight or pleasure in the meal's offerings. He sat there and downed his food as the woman across from him took little notice. By the time her meal had completely disappeared, Sakura's anger had dissipated into a sense of calm.

Sakura remained silent as Orochimaru picked up the cast-iron teakettle and poured her some tea. Picking up her cup, Sakura let it warm her hands as she stared out over to the other side of the river. She sighed and let her body melt against the chair, relaxation taking over now that her stomach was full. As her thoughts softly drifted into silent daydreams, she didn't feel the silent presence that was coming up behind her.

A shadow that blocked out whatever light was shining through the trees had touched her back. The instant cold alerted her to its presence. Turning around, Sakura found the strong silhouette of a familiar body standing before her.

"Sasuke..." said Orochimaru. "Did training go well?"

It was then that Sakura realized that there was a placement set out for a third. Having lunch with Orochimaru was one thing, but with both him and Sasuke was a bit much for her to take.

Sakura watched as Sasuke grabbed a hold of a chair and pulled it back to sit down. Not once did he look at her, but merely looked out over the scenery as well. To keep from letting her eyes show the thoughts that now graced her mind, Sakura looked away into the distance, trying desperately not to let them see into her mind. However, it was evident to Orochimaru that her calm face was betrayed by the tight grip she now had on her teacup.

Sasuke did not respond to Orochimaru's question, and in part, Orochimaru did not expect him to answer. As Sasuke sat there, his eyes remained hard and cold as he looked as if he was being held against his will.

"Good," said Orochimaru with a smile. "I am glad to see that you two can be in the presence of each other without one of you dying. The reason that I put together this meeting is that I have to leave and will be gone for a day. Kabuto will not be back until later this evening, so I will need you, Sasuke, to watch Sakura until that time.... Sakura, I know that you have not bathed since you have gotten here, so I will leave your old friend here to watch over you. I'm sure you will be happy to oblige...."

It wasn't a request, it was an order. With no need to answer, Sakura and Sasuke remained silent, neither of them looking at Orochimaru as he spoke. The atmosphere was more than awkward, it was damn right weird. Never did Sakura think she'd be having tea with Orochimaru, nor did she ever expect him to point out that she hadn't had a bath. It was just gross, and she couldn't hide the disgusted look on her face. She could tell that Orochimaru noticed. She could tell by the sadistic look on his face as he savored her displeasure.

"Come, Sakura, I will lead you back to your room..." said Orochimaru as he got up from his seat. As he turned to walk away, he paused for a brief moment to put in his last piece. "Sasuke.... I expect her to be untouched by the time I get back. Not even you will be excused from death this time...."

Sakura had stopped breathing. The air had gotten so thick with killing intent that it was like trying to breathe water. Sasuke seemed unmoved, though Sakura wondered if he was trembling inside. As she followed Orochimaru back inside, Sakura ventured to look over her shoulder at Sasuke, wondering what he was going to do to her.

The dark walls echoed with their presence yet again as Sakura followed Orochimaru back to her room. What was different she noticed, was that he no longer walked side by side, but ahead of her so that she only saw his back. It was a strange change, but perhaps he had done this because he was angry at Sasuke. However, it was unlike Orochimaru to lose his cool like this.

Stopping next to her room, Orochimaru waited as Sakura reached out to grab the door knob. As the wind blew in when the door became ajar, Sakura could suddenly feel Orochimaru's eyes upon her.

"Sakura..." said Orochimaru. "Sasuke will be in shortly. I suggest you try to make your stay as pleasant as possible by not instigating anything. No one will be here to stop him this time. If you try to run away, he won't be as lenient as I would."

Sakura kept staring forward. When he had finished his instruction, she didn't nod and didn't look at him but simply continued to enter the room. She just wanted to be as far away from him as possible.

* * *

An hour passed before Sakura heard a knock on her door. Getting up, she walked over to the door and opened it as silently as she could. What she found on the other side was Sasuke with his back to her a bit down the hall. Taking it as her queue to follow, she shut the door behind her, signaling to him that she was ready.

Sakura didn't say a word as Sasuke carved a path ahead of her. When they came back out into the open air, it was late afternoon and the sky was glowing orange in the distance. The air was still a bit warm but she could tell that it was going to get cold pretty fast. Taking a brief moment to admire her surroundings, Sakura continued on as Sasuke led her to a path that took them to the other side of the cliff. As they came around the bend, Sakura suddenly felt the moisture in the air get warmer and knew there was a hot spring near by. It wasn't before long when she was looking at one.

In the cover of the trees, Sakura could see the tiny glimmer of the water's surface, heat rising in a sheer mist from its pooling mass. The banks looked well kept and the water was free of debris. Sakura was delighted at the thought of finally having a bath. She felt clammy and itchy from not having taken a bath in so long, and she didn't even want to know what she smelt like. Taking the initiative, she walked over to the pool and began taking off her boots.

A shadow cascaded down on her. Looking up, she saw Sasuke holding out a towel for her.

"Your clothes are over there," said Sasuke as he pointed to a rock with folded garments upon them. The next thing Sakura knew, Sasuke had tossed the towel beside it, and went to sit behind a tree next to the pool. As the tree obscured him from view, Sakura could not help but take the opportunity to shake off the weirdness between them by slipping into the water as quickly as she could.

The warm water surrounded Sakura's being with pure love and affection. The tingling sensation of dirt and oil being removed from her body was absolutely refreshing, and the smell of evaporating water made her relax. Sakura let out a big sigh and sunk the rest of her body down, dipping her head under and letting the water weave through her hair, banishing any particles that had become entangled in them. Coming back up, Sakura let her forehead breach the surface of the water first, the colder air outside stinging her with an uncomfortable reality as night approached.

_Get it off, get it off, get it off, _was all Sakura could think as she actually felt the dirt being washed off her skin.. Rubbing her arms, she tried to hurry the process.

Sitting up, Sakura dipped her face forward to be warmed by the water again, blowing bubbles out of her nose to keep the water from rushing in. When she pulled her head back up to breathe, she felt a presence much closer to her than it was before.

Turning around, Sakura noticed that Sasuke had now moved himself from sitting on the other side of the tree to face her on her side. Gasping, Sakura instinctively dipped her body lower so that the water came just above her nose. It was very unlike Sasuke to be peeping in on her, and if he was facing her like this, it meant he was itching for a fight. There was something serious he wanted to say, that much was obvious, so Sakura hovered like that until he decided to speak.

"How is your shoulder?" asked Sasuke.

Sakura was so nervous that she tried to speak with her mouth still below the surface. As the bubbles popped forth, Sasuke rolled his eyes at her meager attempt to speak. Waiting for her to gain her composure, he remained silent until she had enough sense to pull her mouth out of the water first.

"What's it to you?" said Sakura in a low voice, heated more by anger than the water now and completely forgetting how vicious he was before.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in irritation. To be dragged out was not in his nature. Still, he had to atone for what he had done.

"How's your shoulder?" he asked again, patience draining from his tone.

"Why?" said Sakura, her eyes narrowed like a snake's.

Sasuke knew that look. It was a look he had seen her give Naruto frequently when they were still a team. It was the look that said, "I'm going to beat you senseless if you don't knock it off." Sasuke had never been on the receiving end of it, and he actually felt a chill run down his spine. What was worse though was that three-letter word she used: why. "Why" is the word that girls say when they want to tell a guy to that it's none of their business, and at the same time warning them that an answer to that question should be well thought out before spoken. That little word was the plague of mankind. At least that much, Sasuke as a guy understood.

Sasuke sighed. There was no getting around it. After everything that had been settled between them, he thought that it was quite obvious that what he did was not intentional. Still, he owed her an explanation after stabbing her in the shoulder, and an apology at the very least.

".... Gomen...." said Sasuke softly.

"You're not even looking at me," mumbled Sakura, here eyes still narrowed. "Is that how you apologize after running a blade through my shoulder and twisting it?.... I can tell now that you didn't mean to do it, but that apology sucked...."

Sasuke looked irritated. He knew Sakura wasn't milking it, but really she did deserve more than that. Taking a deep breath, Sasuke tried again.

"Gomen...." said Sasuke, looking her dead in the eye. "I did it because Orochimaru was suspicious of me ever since I got back..... I knew it was serious when you came walking in all of a sudden. I had no clue..."

Sakura turned around and placed her back against the bank. Sinking so that her shoulders stayed warm, she debated whether she should forgive him for such a thing.

"You know, there were other ways you could've done it...." said Sakura irritably.

Sasuke felt his spirit sink. The disappointment in her voice somehow managed to affect him in a way that it had never affected him before: shame. There was nothing else he could say to show that he was really pained when he stabbed her. Still, nothing could have been more painful than a sword completely penetrated through your shoulder.... and twisted. She was right. He was treating it like it was nothing.

The silence that now floated behind Sakura caught her attention. The nonexistent irritation from him that she was so used to had disappeared, letting her know that he was truly indeed, sorry. She no longer felt any anger from him, and the silence that normally graced the space between them had a different air about it.

Sakura sat there twiddling her thumbs, trying to find it in her to forgive him. At the moment, she was still a little peeved.

"What's going to happen to me?" Sakura asked in a tiny voice.

Sasuke knew Sakura was changing the subject. Instead of giving him relief though, it made his heart ache a bit more because it meant that she didn't accept the apology whole-heartedly. He would have to live with it, and he personally took it on as punishment for doing such a horrible thing to her.

The silent emptiness that followed Sakura's question gave her a clue as to what he was currently thinking. She felt guilty, but she couldn't help not being able to find it in her heart to forgive him.

"Sasuke?...."

Sasuke pulled himself out of his trance. Searching his thoughts, he thought of how best to answer her question.

"I don't know..." said Sasuke. "Like I said before, they didn't tell me anything. They still haven't. To keep the image that I don't care about you, I had to refrain from asking any questions. I have a fair guess though...."

Sasuke paused and searched for the words he needed. He didn't want to worry her, but a shinobi with more knowledge of the situation had a better chance of survival.

".... The circumstances have changed, that much is certain," said Sasuke. "I haven't heard him mention anything about you healing him. I believe he's figured out that you can't, otherwise you would have been much more guarded by the Hokage.... So you're pregnant, huh?"

"... yeah..." whispered Sakura. "... Two guesses as to why Orochimaru wants me now..."

Sasuke clenched his teeth. Orochimaru was pissing him off more and more. Being treated like a commodity was something Sasuke could live with, but going after Sakura was like harvesting. The thought of it sickened him to his core. The next Uchiha would grow up with more problems than he did.

"Where's Itachi?" asked Sasuke.

"We got separated...."

Sakura recounted everything that had happened since the moment she had left him, how Itachi left, and how it was Neji who broke the news of her pregnancy to her. She led him through her months away, her time with Ojiisan and Takeru, as well as her constant fight to escape from the clutches of every enemy village. All the while, Sasuke sat in silence and listened, careful to pick up any clues as to how this would turn out. When Sakura had finished, she waited until he was ready to speak.

"....Does Itachi know you are here?" asked Sasuke.

"I don't think so.... What do you know about Akatsuki?"

"Not enough.... I know we've been trying to keep tabs on them. They've been keeping tabs on us too."

"So what's going to happen to me?"

"Well, you're definitely carrying the next container and with a clean slate, Orochimaru could manipulate it in whichever way he wants. You're safe until the baby is born as I'm sure you know...."

"Do you think it's wise to escape at this point?" Sakura knew that she may sound a bit clueless, but this would be the only chance for her questions to be answered. She didn't know the area and she didn't know what the odds were for her to escape.

"The woods around here were picked for a reason. You won't get away as easily as you think, especially in your condition," explained Sasuke. "You'll have to wait for a bigger opening, a longer period to make your escape, otherwise you won't get far enough."

Sakura looked down at the water's glassy sheen. Every ripple seemed to echo the disturbing thoughts in her mind. Rubbing her hands along her naked womb, she wished she wasn't pregnant.

"So this is it, huh?" said Sakura, voicing her opinion that this was the end in only a short five words.

"You'll make it. I'll make sure of it," said Sasuke, his voice was low and determined.

"Arigatou...."

Sasuke watched the back of Sakura's head as it slumped down in doubt. He could see that she was running out of hope. It made sense though, seeing as how everything just continued to go downhill since she had met Itachi. Either way, Sasuke's feelings for Itachi were put aside in that brief moment, and all he saw before him was a friend in great need, and even though she didn't know it, Sasuke was going to be her silent guardian from then on. Staring after her image sinking into the waters below, Sasuke was determined to keep her hope alive with every breath in his body.


	20. Chapter 20

Sakura stood at the edge of the cliff, observing the change of the season before her. As the sound of the waterfall crashing below ignited her ears, Sakura stared at the leaves whose orange and yellow hues seemed more prevalent today than it was the day before. Unconsciously placing her hands upon her belly, she heaved a sigh as she drifted in a daydream.

Another two months had passed, and still there was no word of anyone coming close to recovering her. Sakura was now eight months pregnant, and well on her way to becoming a likely experiment. She had become prone to worrying a little bit more any time she noticed a significant change in the weather, which included sudden drafts of cold wind that frequented the dampened halls of her confinement.

Ever since her private discussion with Sasuke, Sakura had not seen much of him as she was sure he was being cautious. Still, the lingering eyes that fell upon her every time she ran into him told her that he was still watching over her like a silent Jizo statue. Orochimaru and Kabuto were never far behind. They seemed to appear whenever she strayed a little too far. She wasn't sure how they were keeping tabs on her, but nevertheless, they were sharp to correct it at a moment's notice.

Things had improved since she had first gotten there. Apparently Orochimaru had been sure to expand the limit of her freedom as he had realized just how fragile she had become. Her food ration was doubled, there were extra blankets at her disposal, and the shower routine had become just that: routine. She was free to shower whenever she pleased and did not need an escort to accompany her. This moment however, provided Sasuke with a tiny window to drop in and update her on any news.

From what Sasuke had gathered, Naruto and the others had been spotted on the opposite side of Sound Country, but Itachi and Kisame were not present. Sasuke did not know how he could alert the team to their location without anyone including Naruto, noticing, but a battle would be imminent if they came. Sasuke couldn't keep the facade of protecting Sakura forever, and there was no doubt that he'd have to make it known if Naruto and the others showed up. If Itachi and Kisame came, he could at least not have to worry about being given away by pulling his punches.

It appeared that Naruto's group had well over-looked Sakura's location. Sakura thought that perhaps Orochimaru would move her at any notice of them looking for her, but it seemed that it was deemed safer to keep her scent confined to one location. It was a smart thing to do, especially since they were so well hidden.

As the weeks rolled by, Sakura wondered when the time would come for Kabuto to try and extract her baby, but any clues as to when that would happen did not appear until the night before.

_"They're sending me away," said Sasuke. _

_"What for?" asked Sakura, worried that the time had come. _

_"I don't know. I'm being sent on a mission tomorrow and won't be back for at least a week."_

_"Do you think it's time?"_

_"I haven't heard anything. You're eight months now, right? It's possible, but I don't know if Orochimaru would risk endangering the baby."_

Sakura's gaze followed an orange leaf that had fallen down from a tree across the way. As it floated past the level of her feet, so did her spirit drop with it into the rushing waters below. Wasting away in this location and waiting upon death was not something that the strong-willed Sakura was used to, but after all that time of being beaten down by rotten luck, it was hard not to be affected by its contagious negative energy. The depression spread like a wildfire through Sakura's very being and sucked much of her optimism out of her heart.

"What are you thinking?"

Sakura jumped at the sudden sound of Kabuto's voice behind her.

"Just now, what were you thinking?" asked Kabuto again.

"I was wondering whether I'm having a boy or a girl..." lied Sakura.

Kabuto gave a tiny chuckle. Walking closer, he stood by her side.

"Well, I just hope it's a boy so that we can continue the Uchiha name, don't you?"

Sakura nodded her head. Kabuto's close proximity to her made her skin crawl.

"I do," answered Sakura. "... and I hope that my child is the one to break the lock you have on its clan as well... In fact, I know it will...."

"What makes you so sure of that?"

"Itachi.... Before you die, the last thing you see will not be anything of this world. I know for a fact that those who piss off my fiance will suffer the Mangekyou Sharingan.... Consider it an honorable death.... And if he doesn't do it...." said Sakura, turning to look Kabuto dead in the eye. "I, or one of my friends, will."

The calmness and dead serious tone in Sakura's voice clamped itself around Kabuto's heart. Somehow it foreboded ill tidings to him, even though it was only speculation.

"With you will die not only your child's hope for a normal life, but Sasuke's last piece of a human heart. You should be lucky enough to see the day that I am killed...." countered Kabuto, walking away.

Sakura's heart was clamped in turn. She knew in her heart that there was an underlying message, and she knew that her fate would come much sooner than Kabuto's.

_

* * *

_Sasuke's feet ached as he flew through the trees with haste. His guts told him that the pressing urgency in his heart was growing with each branch that he passed. Every step he took was counting towards Sakura's life, and his movement seemed numb as his mind had completely taken over.

Since having left, Sasuke had not slept for more than twenty-four hours. He had rushed to get his mission over with, which was conveniently stationed in the middle of Sound country. It takes about two days worth of a journey to get there, another two to get the mission done, and another two to return. With the pace that he had made though, he was already done with the mission midday on the third day, and was already on his way back.

As Sasuke's heart pounded in his chest from exhaustion, his thoughts were only on Sakura. The longer he was away, the shorter her life span was. He still didn't know how to get a message through to Naruto and he didn't even know the search team's location. It seemed that all he had to rely on now was himself, though he had a feeling that sooner or later, Itachi was bound to show up.

The thought of his brother made Sasuke calm. He knew that Itachi was the only way Sakura was going to get away. If Itachi showed up with Kisame, Sasuke could fight with his entire being and knew that there was a great chance that he would die in the process. After everything that had happened, Sasuke's mind had suddenly changed from wanting to exact revenge on his brother, to ensuring that Sakura made it out alive. Sasuke had finally resigned himself to the fact that he may die while trying to do it, but it didn't matter anymore. He saw now that his life had been tainted by the wrongs in his past, and now here was Sakura, carrying the hope of his clan's future. It was much more important than whatever happened between he and his brother. The clean slate that the child brought with it was going to eliminate all of that.

As Sasuke's mind drifted back out of thought, the sound of his foot striking the branch below made him awaken to the presence of a new deciding factor.

_Snow?_ thought Sasuke, looking up at the sky.

The tiny white flakes that fell from the heavens landed in cold dots on Sasuke's face. As they were caught in his hair, they melted upon impact and began dampening the tufts that jutted out in all directions. Judging from the continuous gray cloud that stretched from horizon to horizon, Sasuke knew that a big storm had come his way without him even noticing. The moment that Sasuke's eyes met the endless overcast sky, Sasuke knew that the time it would take him to return had now increased. He was just lucky that he had pushed so hard to begin with.

A loud stomp impacted the branch below as Sasuke quickened his pace. As his lean figure cut a path through the trees, the only thing left behind were partial footprints that lined the snow covered branches. Time was now running out.

* * *

Five days had passed and not a word from Sasuke. He said that he'd be back in at least a week, but Sakura's stomach had been turning since he had left. After her last encounter with Kabuto, there was no doubt that the time had come. Outside the temperature had dropped considerably, and the icy cold air was too much for Sakura to handle. Every day seemed like a long torturous wait, and every day Sakura felt the walls were closing in around her. Even though her insides told her that she should run, she still knew that she wouldn't make it far, and that she and her baby had a better chance of survival if she stayed and fought..... Well, at least her baby would.

The long hours that swept slowly past Sakura made her put her priorities into place. At this point, it didn't matter if she died, just as long as her baby made its way out of Orochimaru's grasp. Her legacy for her child would be life itself, and the lessons that were learned as she watched Sasuke chase revenge would in turn become a lesson that her child wouldn't need.

_My child will know happiness and freedom from such a burden as revenge.... _thought Sakura._ Naruto, I'm counting on you.....

* * *

_Sasuke came over the hill and spotted the familiar waterfall up ahead. Stopping in his hours long journey, he watched as his frozen breath puffed forward in white pillows and swallowed so that his dry throat was moistened in the tiniest bit. Catching his breath, he looked over the snow-covered scenery that enveloped the landscape below. The snow that covered the ground was now two feet high since having first fallen, and getting back to the lair took a lot longer than expected. Here Sasuke was, on the sixth day of his mission, and he just didn't know what to expect. If Sakura were alive, he would heave a heavy sigh of relief indeed. If she were dead, Sasuke had chosen to forsake any other endeavors that he had up until this point. What pulled at his heartstrings now was the life of his childhood friend and the future of his name.

Stepping forward, Sasuke brushed past the snow covered leaves, making them sprinkle like powdered sugar onto the ground. He did not think to slow as he closed in on the back entrance of the lair. All he wanted to do was put the pain of not knowing out of his mind and heart. Flinging open the door Sasuke stepped into the cave making a wet train as the snow melted from his shoes. The first thing he did was find Orochimaru and Kabuto's usual residing place, but they were not there. Silencing his movements, Sasuke listened and tried to feel out any chakura signatures, but there were none.

Walking over to Sakura's room seemed like forever. Sasuke tried to make it look as if he were in no rush in case someone caught him along the way, but his step quickened once her door was in sight. Knocking on the outside, he got no response. Sasuke then opened to door to make sure that she wasn't asleep and found her bed empty in the back of the room. The blanket was flipped over as if she had gotten out, but the way the tip of it touched the floor made him think that it was not by her doing. Sakura was too clean to want her sheets to touch the dirt covered ground, that much was sure.

The urgency suddenly grew like a knot in Sasuke's stomach. Something was wrong. Taking off into a run, Sasuke bolted towards the front entrance. As he raced through the giant hall and into the passageway that would lead him out he could not help but let his face become stricken with fear. This tiny girl that he had once thought nothing of had suddenly grown to be his only goal in the world. Dashing up the steps he came into the thicket that hid the entrance from view. Stopping to decide which direction to go, he headed to the highest place he could find which was a hill to his left. As his feet got heavier with every step up that mound, Sasuke nearly threw all of his wits to the forest floor. At the top of the hill Sasuke climbed the highest tree. Casting his gaze frantically around, he heard something that made him freeze with death.

The sound of a baby's cry echoed through the air from behind Sasuke. Whipping his head around to see where it came from, Sasuke spotted a meadow in the distance that looked like a pool of white. Out in the middle of it were two tiny dots.

Sasuke leapt from the tree and dashed without a thought towards the direction of the two figures. All he could think of was Sakura's face as he whipped through the snow as if it weren't there. Coming to a break in the trees, Sasuke slowed down as the two dots he saw before were now making their way towards him.

The familiar outlines of Orochimaru and Kabuto seemed ominous to Sasuke. As he approached them he stopped dead in his tracks once he noticed the tiny bundle that Kabuto was carrying. Furrowing his brow in confusion and fear, Sasuke stopped breathing when his eyes fell upon the pink tuft of hair that stuck out of the snow behind them. What made his heart wrench however, was the splatters of blood that dotted the white blanket surrounding what could only be Sakura.

"Ah, Sasuke," said Orochimaru with a smile. "I see you made it back early. How did it go?"

Sasuke didn't respond. He didn't know how to. All he wanted to do in that moment was rip Orochimaru and Kabuto limb from limb and toss them into the snow beside Sakura's now lifeless body.

"Sasuke, Orochimaru-sama asked you a question," said Kabuto, who seemed prepared to be on the defensive.

"It's alright, Kabuto," said Orochimaru. "Let him be.... Sasuke, we'll be leaving shortly. Be prepared to move."

Sasuke stood there staring at the pink hair sticking out of the snow. He seemed deaf to the sound of Orochimaru steps and blind to the blood on Kabuto's forearms as they walked past him without another word. When his will finally came back to him, Sasuke dragged his feet forward before dropping to his knees a few feet from his childhood friend.

The pain was much too great for Sasuke. His mind went white and his vision became hazy with utter grief. Sasuke felt his body flush with a heat wave that washed from the pit of his stomach to the tips of his fingers and toes. He felt just as he did the time his parents were taken from him, and just like that time, he felt the blood from his face drain until his jaw dropped in disbelief. Empty like a shell, it was as if his soul had been sucked forth from his body, never to return again.

Sasuke's posture sunk into the snow as hot tears began to pour from his eyes. Lifting one hand forward, he outstretched his fingers as if reaching for Sakura's last lifeline. The tips of his finger mingled with the cold and felt out for that tiny piece that had slipped away. His tears that fell down the sides of his face, curved in towards his mouth and dampened the corner of his lips.

"Sakura...." whimpered Sasuke, his eyes wide with disbelief and pouring salty rain.

Everything around Sasuke couldn't be real. The scene couldn't be real. The cold beneath him couldn't be real. Above all else, Sakura's lifeless body that now lay hidden in the snow could not really be there, nor could the lack of steam rising from those perfectly pink lips be invisible to the naked eye. The whole world seemed to stop in that moment as Sasuke pushed his heart and mind through the inner debate of whether this had actually happened, that Sakura had actually died.

Holding his breath, Sasuke dared to do what he had to do, what he couldn't stop himself from doing. Creeping higher onto his knees, he dared to look upon Sakura's mangled body, but instantly turned away the moment he saw the flaps of her blouse tossed wide open with a huge gash that travelled from hip to hip. Blood was everywhere on her tiny frame, and you couldn't make out that she was once a young girl. The hot blood had soaked into the snow and dissolved it so that she touched the bare ground beneath her. If Sasuke had looked any longer than he had, he wouldn't have left her side.

Standing up, Sasuke turned to let the ice stuck to his knees drop down in tiny thuds. He stood there in the tiny trickling of snow, fixated as if the sun could shine right through his emptiness. As he stared towards the treeline, his sorrow blurred his senses even though there was no wind to distract him. The grief was so intense that he did not catch the blood reflecting with a tiny glimmer of hope as it rose and fell with Sakura's stomach. Her almost undetectable breathing had gone unnoticed as he had been driven to tear his gaze away. She made no movement, and she made no noise.

Sasuke tried to turn his head back towards her, but couldn't bring himself to do it. Images of what she looked like when he last saw her flashed through his mind like a picture show. The way her hair blew in the wind, the smell of it as he traveled behind her, and the gleam in her eyes when she fought, all these things he would soon forget as the days rolled by. It was something he regretted not having a picture of. He knew that one day she would be wiped from his memory, never to be seen again. Only wanting to remember her in this way, Sasuke pulled himself from the scene as quickly as he could.

When Sasuke's legs finally brought him back to the treeline, only then did he dare to look back again. He couldn't see anything, but his heart could feel it. He knew she was still there, probably still warm from the last breath she took. No one except he, Orochimaru, and Kabuto knew that in that field held a tiny jewel whose spirit could reach the depths of even his own cold hearted soul. Taking a stuttered breath, Sasuke said his last goodbye to the person he regretted leaving the most.

* * *


	21. Chapter 21

_Please.... please don't leave me again....._

_A hand stretched forth towards the red-clouded back of Itachi's cloak, the sharp glare of the Sharingan stared over his shoulder a moment before he turned to walk away. The cold stare he gave her told her not to follow as the wind whipped the edges of his cloak and brushed through his dark strands of hair like a storm. Soon he was gone, and the sound of running footsteps and the hard panting of Sakura's breath seemed to be the only thing she had left. _

The eyelids of Sakura flicked with agitation from the sun, the pupils of her eyes darting back and forth beneath them as her dream recalled a sad memory.

_Cold....._thought Sakura, squinting out the light.

As she peeked open her eyes, she could feel a sticky warmth beneath her, but a numbing cold everywhere else.

_What?.... _

Sakura tried to lift her head but was only able to get it half an inch out of the snow pocket she had made. Dropping back down, she took tiny stuttered breaths.

_....I remember....._

Memories began to flood back into Sakura's mind from the morning of that fateful day, memories of a rude awakening when she felt a hand cup over her mouth as she slept. She had immediately struggled to get away but felt something sharp poke her in her back. Almost instantly she began to feel numb as she was dragged out of bed, one arm being held by Orochimaru and the other by Kabuto. They led her through the giant hall, out the front entrance, and up the steps. It was there that her legs gave way and she was swept off her feet. Her head bobbed up and down as she stared between the sky and Kabuto's malicious face. She heard Orochimaru say something to her, but she didn't understand what he had said.

Suddenly a bright light to her left made her look.

_A field?_.... she remembered thinking.

The blinding white glow of the snow-covered field stung Sakura's eyes. The sound of snow being stepped on as the feel of it landed softly on her face made her drugged vision blur even more. The brightness had enveloped her as if she were floating towards heaven, until suddenly she was placed down in the fluffy cold whiteness, surrounded by her captors.

_"Arigatou, Sakura," _she remembered hearing. The slither in its voice let her know that it was Orochimaru's.

The next thing she knew, a sharp pain sliced her abdomen and she could feel hot fluid running down her thighs. A splash of red strewn across her face let her know that she was being cut open. She remembered shaking uncontrollably but the pain was almost non-existent.

"We're almost there, Sakura," she heard Kabuto's voice say.

Gross noises filled her ears as she suddenly felt a weight lift off her, followed by a sudden jerk as the umbilical cord was cut. Trying to see what was happening, the glare of the sun blinded her vision so that the silhouette of Kabuto lifting something up was blacked out.

_"What?...." _she had whispered, reaching her hand towards him. She had wanted to ask if it was a boy or a girl.

_"Congratulations, Sakura...."_ was the last thing she heard before the black silhouettes began to walk away.

Sakura tried to speak, tried to call out for what was rightfully hers, but as her silent cries were ignored her eyelids became heavy as she felt her mind drift off into darkness.

_Bad dreams...._thought Sakura, now connecting to the present.

Slowly Sakura pushed herself up onto her elbows. She didn't know how long she was passed out, but as she peeked her head over the top of the snow, she could have swore that she thought she saw a single figure disappearing into the trees. Turning her head back towards her stomach, her eyes discovered the horror of what she knew wasn't just a bad dream.

Sakura turned her head away. She couldn't even bare to look at it herself. Somehow seeing the actual wound was much harder to handle than the pain itself. She was still numb though, so it could have been an unfair judgment.

_Alright, _thought Sakura. _Nobody panic. It's just a flesh wound... Uh-oh...  
_

Sakura's vision began to swirl and her head became heavy like lead as the loss of blood kicked in. Things started to go black again, so much so that she dropped back down.

_I have to do this quick before I pass out again...._

Sakura lifted her hand to brush the strands of hair back behind her left ear, revealing a tiny blue diamond that was imprinted on the back of her neck, just within her hairline. The same tiny diamond, visible for all to see on the Hokage's forehead, had lay hidden on her neck for the past year. Thanking her shishou and the gods for having learnt the technique, it couldn't have come at a better time. Putting her hands together to signal her intent, Sakura used her last bit of strength to release the seal.

The tiny blue diamond suddenly shot out into fuchsia strands that swirled and entwined around Sakura's curves. She could feel it stretch across her body just as she was passing out, and knew that she had just made it in time.

The snow around Sakura began to melt as the sudden burst of chakura healed her wound and restored her blood level. As her unconscious body was covered in what looked like elaborate tatoos, her breath became steadied and her shoulders relaxed. The clothes on her back mixed with the reddish water of blood and ice, soaking her hair and sponging her body as she lay there recuperating.

After a minute or so, Sakura stretched as if coming out of a peaceful night's rest, reaching her hands towards the sky as the shocking feel of wetness beneath her gave her an unpleasant jerk of reality. Getting up slowly, Sakura tried not to let the hot wetness spread any further.

_Alright, time to get moving...._

Sakura got up and stretched out her lightened limbs, determined to make this fight count. Setting off at a light pace, she silently moved through the trees and found her way back to the front entrance.

Stopping just out of sight, she listened to her surroundings before dashing towards the steps. She moved as quietly as she could, but from what she could tell, there wasn't a single soul left in the lair. Onward she ran like a gazelle, silent and swift through the giant hall until she came to the corridor that held her room.

_Okay.... let's see what I've got...._

Cracking her neck, Sakura then took off down the hall, immediately triggering every trap along the way. Her reflexes seemed alright. She had managed to dodge every shuriken and trap door that came her way, but it was when she got to the door of her room that the real problem showed itself.

_Cramp! Holy crap........._

Sakura grabbed at her calf, massaging it as quickly as she could to dispel the pain. Apparently the juitsu took care of everything else, but she needed a better stretch, nevertheless.

Flinging the door to the room open, she went in to find what she could not wait to put back on. Whipping out her old outfit , Sakura breathed in the goodness of a uniform that had withstood countless fights. She then ran over to the bedside and grabbed her boots.

It wasn't before long that Sakura had bolted out the back door, her clothes and towel in hand. As soon as she reached the hot spring, she whipped off her wet clothes at lightening speed before jumping into the pool to wash herself.

Beneath the surface Sakura violently rubbed the blood stains off her skin and out of her hair. The process of doing so seemed almost like a purification ritual, preparing herself for a deciding battle. Once she was done, she was out and drying her stark-naked body and throwing on her old outfit so that she didn't catch the cold.

As she slipped her top over her head, Sakura's mind was already planning what it was she was going to do next. So far her plan of using Tsunade's special technique had worked. She had successfully survived the surgery and performed it so that she could fight. After considering all options of how to escape while being pregnant, Sakura had finally figured it out, and thought as if she weren't pregnant. Realizing that there was no way she could get away in that condition, Sakura had turned to a drastic measure in order to enhance the prospects for her child. It was dangerous, but what did it matter now when it had worked?

After throwing on her boots, Sakura rubbed her head with the towel and dried her hands as best as she could. The next thing she did however, made her mind go into fight mode and her body pump adrenaline through her veins. The slick feel of her gloves as she slipped them on made her heart leap as she ached to deliver that crushing blow. What Orochimaru and Kabuto didn't know however, was that they were going to be on the receiving end of it.

* * *

Sasuke trudged through the snow following the footprints left behind by Orochimaru and Kabuto. His heart was was still sinking in the sorrowful interlude that intruded upon his life. He could not help but show his sadness, and thinking back to that moment when all guises used to conceal his true self had disappeared, Sasuke wondered why it came as no surprise to Orochimaru.

_He knew I was still holding on....._

Indeed, Orochimaru knew well enough that Sasuke may have spent a lot of time with him, but memories from his childhood could never be fully erased unless his soul companions during that time had died. It was another string of fate that was cut in order to secure his follower. He knew that Sasuke would not leave him as long as Itachi was alive, but he also knew that Sasuke would never really be his until he had involuntarily let go of the past.

_But why would he leave?_

Sasuke stopped in his tracks. The question had struck him like a Chidori.

_Why would Orochimaru and Kabuto leave the lair when they had a newborn child?_

Thoughts began to swirl in Sasuke's head, eventually leading to another question.

_Why would they take Sakura's baby so early? She was only eight months pregnant....._

Suddenly it dawned on Sasuke. The answer was so simple.

_THEY WOULDN'T._

Kabuto, as a medical nin, would never advise taking the baby so early, nor would he advise leaving shelter with a newborn on their hands. The risks were much too great. There was only one thing that could have driven them to make such a hasty decision: Itachi.

If Itachi were on his way to the lair, Orochimaru would never have been able to move a very pregnant Sakura and be able to guarantee that she wouldn't switch hands. If Itachi had showed up alongside Kisame, things would have been over, whether Sakura lived or not. The only option would have been to extract the child earlier to make it easier for them to travel. The next hideout was not for quite a distance, and there was no way Sakura would have been able to push on this snow.

Sasuke had figured it out down to the very last wire. Orochimaru wasn't on the move, he was on the run. The only thing that Sasuke had going for him at this moment was that he knew about it, and that was enough to make his decision. Looking back towards the lair, Sasuke tried to think of what to do next. He could never be able to ask the aid of his brother, but he couldn't take on both Orochimaru and Kabuto without putting the baby at risk. There was only one thing he could do.....

* * *

Orochimaru and Kabuto stopped when they felt Sasuke approaching them from behind. However, the quick pace he was making towards them put them on alert.

"What's he doing?" asked Kabuto.

"Something's wrong..." said Orochimaru, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

As Sasuke approached, he slowed down as he neared them so as to not alarm them any further.

"Itachi's on his way... I saw him enter the lair with Kisame."

Orochimaru and Kabuto looked at eachother. Their fears had come to fruition as they did not expect Itachi to follow so soon.

"We can't fight with the newborn on our hands, we'll have to slow them down long enough so we can get it away," said Orochimaru, his eyes showing the calculation of their current situation.

Looking at Sasuke, Orochimaru knew that just because he had secured his tiny container, didn't mean he could risk losing his big one.

"I won't be able to hold off both Itachi and Kisame at the same time. Sasuke, take the baby and head to the next hideout. Kabuto, you're with me."

Kabuto leaned in to whisper to Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru-sama, are you sure it's wise to..."

"... No...." cut in Sasuke with a dangerous tone. "I'm taking Itachi today. Let the babysitter do what he does best."

"Sasuke, now is not the time for your revenge," warned Orochimaru. "You are not ready and your emotions will only get in the way."

Orochimaru had meant not only anger, but his sadness at the loss of Sakura. Sasuke's actions would no doubt turn reckless.

A moment of silence passed between them. The killing intent that was radiating off of Sasuke was so strong that it managed to wipe out any suspicions that Kabuto had of him wanting to take the baby.

"Do it," ordered Orochimaru, "and wait there until we get back."

Sasuke did not even take his eyes off of Orochimaru as Kabuto gently placed the baby in his arms. He kept staring intently at Orochimaru, trying his best to keep any suspicion from being aroused.

"Go...." commanded Orochimaru in a whisper. The chill that it sent up Sasuke's spine gave him that push that he needed to move out of that nervous situation.

As Sasuke walked away, he didn't look down at the child as he knew that Kabuto was watching him. He could feel his eyes sweeping over his back, detecting for any hint of betrayal. Still, if there was one thing that would keep Sasuke from rebelling against them, it was the fact that Itachi was still alive. This goal of Sasuke's had proven time and time again that just about anything could offend him, as long as he held the soul right to kill his brother. Waiting until he got further away, Sasuke relaxed a bit and took in the new specimen.

The bundle was so light and warm, but the smell of Sakura's blood was still upon the blanket. Lifting the baby slightly higher, Sasuke unconsciously brought the child closer to his heart. The birth of a new Uchiha was not what Sasuke was reveling in, but rather the fact that he was an uncle. He also ignored the fact that Itachi was the father, and only considered the child to be that of his sister, Sakura. Though Sasuke had only just met the child, he already knew that out of anyone else in the world, he loved that child unconditionally.

_Should I name it? _wondered Sasuke.

It was true, Sakura was no longer there to give it a name, nor did she tell him what she had considered naming it. After a half hour had passed, Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks, finally figuring what he should name it.

"Yuki...." said Sasuke.

Sasuke didn't know the sex of the baby, but all he could think about in that moment was the white snow that engulfed his last memory of the child's mother. It was a beautiful and yet so tragic a scene that it'd be impossible to forget just how much snow surrounded her resting place. The blinding reflection of the sun's light off the snow was something he would always remember, and found it to be a sound name for a child born in such a place.

The resounding voice of Yuki's name being said for the first time made the baby stir, and Sasuke looked down to see its tiny eyes squint beneath its tiny hands.

"I guess it's settled then," said Sasuke. "Yuki is both a boy and girl's name, but I won't relinquish you to the cold just to find out what you are...."

A sudden gust of wind rushed past, and Sasuke knew that he was no longer alone.

"Sasuke....." said a deep voice. "Where is Sakura?"

Sasuke didn't turn around. He couldn't even breathe. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke spoke the name he dreaded all those years.

"Hello, Itachi...."

* * *


	22. Chapter 22

Tiny puffs of white smoke burst forth from Sakura's mouth as she blasted towards her enemy. With every step that tapped the branches below her, Sakura's strength was renewed as she stretched her limbs and warmed her fighting soul. It was a warm up to say the least.

As she drew nearer to her goal, something in Sakura's gut told her to slow as she came towards another open field. She slowed herself as soon as she saw the familiar glare of white that she had just been engulfed in just an hour ago, and could feel that there was a presence ahead that was waiting for her to come out into the open.

Stopping within the shadows of the treeline, her eyes scanned the far side for any hint of the enemy. As it reached the point directly across from her position, she caught it.

_What the...._thought Sakura. _How could they know?_

A flash of red whipped just within the shadows, and after staring intently at it, Sakura finally figured out what it was as the darkened portions around it formed the shape of a mound. Scanning the rest of the treeline, she noticed that two similar flashes of red were equally distanced on the sides of it, about fifty yards between them.

_Snakes...._thought Sakura as she cringed at the slimy thought._ But why overdo it?  
_

Unknown to Sakura, Orochimaru had prepared for an onslaught by Itachi and Kisame. Being that Itachi was more of a close range fighter, Orochimaru took advantage of his long range skills to defend against the Sharingan. He and Kabuto could handle Kisame, but it was the Sharingan that they could not escape from if they were caught by it. Even if Itachi could easily spot him, at least the snakes would distract his concentration for a bit. However, unknown to Orochimaru, Sakura was the perfect candidate for fighting the snakes, especially since it would take a sheer amount of brute strength to kill them.

Sakura crouched in the shadows in thought. The element of surprise being gone, she had to decide whether or not she would sneak around to get across, whether Orochimaru was still there, whether this setup was just a precaution, or if there was something going on that she didn't know about which she had no doubt that there was. All these things she had to take into consideration at the moment, and it was forcing her into a position that she didn't want to be in.

Standing straight up, Sakura thought one thing: _I don't have time for this...._

Walking out into the open field her eyes were dead set on carving a path straight through. Just as she had expected, the moment that she came into view the first snake darted out of the trees and came slithering at lightning speed straight towards her. Sakura in turn took off at a run directly at it and just as it came within a good distance, she kicked off the ground to make an attack from above, coming down to slam a fist full of chakura into the center of the snake's head. As the ground below shattered into a crater, so too was the snake's head crushed and killed instantly.

Standing up, Sakura looked menacing as the blood and venom oozed from the sides of the snake's mouth, it's eyes frozen with the last picture it had taken in. She turned her gaze to the other snakes who were now making a slow approach. Their eyes showed their calm and silent fury as their comrade had been killed so easily. They were not going to be taken by the same move.

Sakura walked down the snake's back and jumped off where it started to curve. The smell and feel of the snake beneath her feet disgusted her and she clenched her fists, eager to beat out her disgust upon the other two. As they came closer however, she saw that back from where they had come stood two figures: Orochimaru and Kabuto.

Sakura watched as Orochimaru and Kabuto didn't make a move. Apparently they were waiting to see her skills, never having really been able to observe her to the fullest extent. It was obvious that by the first move she employed that she was dead set on putting an end to this, and the two of them understood that someone was going to die that day.

The snakes that approached Sakura seemed to have a plan. The way that they moved told her that something was up. She had no doubt that they were communicating with eachother, but it didn't matter because they were both going to die.

Sakura focused her energy on the task at hand. The best way to be prepared for an attack is not so much by the attention your eyes give, but rather by feeling the enemy's energy as they press upon you their intent. As Sakura stood their, she could feel the two energies from the snake, but one was stronger than the other's.

_The one on the left is going to attack first.... the other will wait for me to dodge...._thought Sakura.

As the snakes drew nearer the intent grew stronger, and when it felt like the energy couldn't be restrained any longer, the snake on the left shot at Sakura. Sakura dodged to the right, the snake's head missing her by a few inches. Staying close to the ground, Sakura made sure that she was prepared to change direction as the second snake shot towards her. Kicking off the ground, Sakura shot towards it but slightly left so that it missed, then kicked off the ground and into the air just as the two bodies of the snakes slammed against one another to avoid being crushed. Falling back down to earth, Sakura concentrated chakura in her feet to land with a crushing stomp on the head of the first snake. She made sure that she had just enough chakura to kill it, but not enough to sink it so far into the ground as she soon had to dodge the second snake's attack. Bounding backwards, Sakura felt the wind brush past as the snake missed yet again. She skid backwards to a halt then dashed forward to meet the snake head-on with a deadly fist to its snout.

The snake's head whipped back with such a deadly force that it took half its body with it. As it ricocheted off the ground with an earth-trembling shatter, Sakura turned back to face her real enemies as she was certain the snake was dead.

"OROCHIMARU!" Sakura yelled across the distance. "I'VE COME FOR WHAT IS MINE!!!"

Orochimaru stared across the sea of white to the tiny figure that stood amongst the dead bodies of giant snakes. Her resemblance to Tsunade was uncanny in the sense that she not only had the same glaring look, but the almost evil energy that emanated off of her pressed upon him just as it did so many years ago. It was as if Tsunade herself had come to fight him, and he chuckled at the thought.

_Well done, Tsunade...._

* * *

A tremor beneath Sasuke's feet caught his attention. Judging by the looks of it, it caught Itachi and Kisame's too.

"Where is Sakura," Itachi asked again, but his inquiry was ignored as Sasuke turned his attention back towards Orochimaru's direction. Sasuke's attention was not gone long however, as Itachi had grasped him by the neck the moment his eyes passed over the bundle that he was carrying.

"Where is she," Itachi growled, his eyes instinctively turning Sharingan. ".... She wasn't ready yet.... Where is she!?!"

Sasuke's eyes watered. He could easily get out of Itachi's grasp but didn't try to as the baby was still in his arms.

"_Oro-chimaru!_" Sasuke squeezed out.

Itachi's eyes started to look panicked, and his breathing turned rapid as his grasp around Sasuke's neck began to get stronger. Suddenly a hand, the only hand that could do so in that moment, stretched out and grabbed the arm that was holding Sasuke.

"Itachi," said Kisame. "This is unlike you. Calm yourself and let him speak."

As thoughts drowned his sanity, Itachi somehow managed to release his grasp of Sasuke's neck, and step back far enough to give him some room. Hyperventilation began to take hold, and his hands came up to grasp his head as he couldn't wrap his mind around the idea of Sakura being dead.

"I suggust you speak quickly," said Kisame to Sasuke. "I wouldn't waste words...."

".... I came upon her after Orochimaru had sent me away.... They had already taken the baby...." explained Sasuke, careful in choosing the right words to describe the horror.

"Now what's going on back there that you seem so attuned to?"

".... I don't know. Orochimaru and Kabuto were setting a trap for you back there. I lied to them saying you were right behind them, but if you're here..... Did you bring the others with you?"

Suddenly Itachi looked up at Sasuke.

"Sakura...." Itachi whispered.

"Where are you going!?!" Kisame yelled after him.

A brief moment of confusion set in and Kisame had to think fast. Itachi was never one to rush into any situation, but there was no doubt that it was what he had just done. Things were going to get out of control if the situation wasn't handled properly, so because Itachi wasn't thinking as straight as he should, Kisame would have to do it for him.

"I can't let him go alone. He's my partner...." said Kisame to Sasuke.

Sasuke's heart was being pulled after Itachi as well, more so for Sakura but a part of him told him to follow his brother.

"Take the kid," said Kisame, starting after Itachi.

"Where?"

Kisame stopped to think. Communicating with Itachi was something that could be easily done by an Akatsuki member.

"Fuck!" cursed Kisame. "I'll take him.... Just watch your brother from the sidelines and make sure he doesn't get killed! Same goes for his fiance...."

"...Fiance?"

Sasuke's heart was just tugged a good one. Sakura had never mentioned to him about being Itachi's fiance, and he realized how hard it must have been for her to keep it a secret. Pulling his mind and heart back into place, he tried not to show his discontent.

Sasuke looked down at the tiny bundle in his arms. The precious object that had only graced his life for a brief period had brought him more satisfaction than anything else had in years.

"I named it Yuki...." said Sasuke as he let the infant slip from his grasp and into the arms of Kisame.

Kisame stared down at the baby and gave a funny look.

"Kinda looks like Itachi...." said Kisame. ".... I thought most babies look like aliens when they're born, but this one is actually good-looking...."

"Don't eat him."

Kisame scowled at Sasuke. "I'll get the kid out and send the Kyuubi your way...."

"Naruto?"

"Yeah, that idiot's been tagging along with us for the past month. The rest got called back to Konoha. He did too, but the ANBU sure had a hard time convincing him...."

"Where is he?"

"He had to take a dump. I'm sure he must have felt the quake though...."

_"....Kisame!!!...."_ came the sound of Naruto's voice.

It was not long before the blond-haired and blue-eyed shinobi came flying onto the scene.

"What the hell was!?!.... Sasuke???" said Naruto, coming to a halt.

Naruto's heart had leapt into his throat. After all that searching his quest had finally come to a standstill, and just as Itachi had done, Naruto's eyes eventually made its way over to the bundle in Kisame's arms.

"What the....." said Naruto under his breath.

Naruto's eyes began to water as he too began to connect the dots of Sakura having not completed the nine months of her pregnancy period.

"Where's...." Naruto whispered, looking at Sasuke with a face that said he was ignoring the fact that he hadn't seen him for more than ten minutes in years.

Sasuke couldn't speak. He didn't know how to tell Naruto, the one who had loved Sakura since they were kids, that he had seen her blood-soaked body basking in the sun while sunken beneath the snow. The pain of that moment had once again wrapped itself around his heart, but the sound of her name being whispered before Itachi took off was the convenience of hope that Sasuke did not dare to allow himself the pleasure. What if what he saw was correct, but let himself dream that she were alive only to have his heart broken all over again? Miracles of survival happened in shinobi life on a daily basis, but the only person he saw make those kinds of miracles was Naruto, who was alone kept alive many times thanks to the Kyuubi inside of him.

"She's...." started Sasuke.

".... She needs your help..." cut in Kisame. "Itachi's on his way over to help her."

Sasuke glanced over to Kisame, who in turn gave Sasuke a nod of reassurance.

"Take heart kid, 'cause you're about to see the dead walk.... Now you two get over there and don't embarrass me," said Kisame as he began to take off in the opposite direction as the fight.

"Where are you taking the kid!?!" shouted Naruto after him.

"....Fishing!!!...."

"....Fishing???" said Naruto, but there was no time to ponder the question. Rather than be stuck there in an awkward silence, Sasuke had already taken off towards the battlefield.

"Oi! Wait for me!!! SASUKE, TEME!!!!!!"


	23. Chapter 23

The snow beneath Sakura's feet melted as the place she held silently was slowly being closed in on by the two men she detested the most. She watched them as they slowly walked towards her from across the plain, taking in their every shape as her heart raced with both fear and anxiousness. The deciding moment was upon her and she didn't even know if she'd live to hold her own child, to feed it and nuture it with all the love she could give, but it was in that moment that it hit Sakura.

_Where's the baby? _thought Sakura as her view of them became clearer. _Where's Sasuke?...... _

Scenarios ran through Sakura's head before she realized that they must have handed the baby off to Sasuke for handling.

_But why leave the upper of the three behind? Would not one have been enough? _thought Sakura as her eyes narrowed in thought.

This recurrence of overkill once again swept through Sakura's mind. Why would Orochimaru give up his two most prized possessions to come out and meet her, and not just meet her, but bring Kabuto with him?

Sakura gasped.

_They weren't expecting me...._

Sakura understood that going up against both Orochimaru and Kabuto was no easy feat. Here you had one of the most evasive criminals in all of the shinobi world who perhaps was also the most dangerous to boot, and standing at his side was a medical genius who could utilize those techniques to fight. Either one would be a true match, no doubt, but both together could easily take her out in no time.

As time was growing short, Sakura remembered that Sasuke was now in possession of her child, but she only hoped that he'd be willing to put aside his thoughts of revenge to ditch Orochimaru and get the kid out of there at top speed. She trusted him though, and in that moment it was all she had going for her. The tables had now turned once again, and it would be she who would be covering Sasuke instead.

_I just need to buy him enough time...._ thought Sakura.

The sound of feet shuffling through the snow slowly drifted towards her as Orochimaru and Kabuto finally came within earshot of Sakura and stopped.

"Hello, Sakura...." said Kabuto with a smile. "That is some technique Tsunade created. I haven't quite figured out how to replicate it, as of yet...."

"....and you never will," finished Sakura.

"Well, I was hoping to do an autopsy on Tsunade's body to identify the main factor in massive cell regeneration... but I guess you will have to suffice...."

".... Any last words?" cut in Orochimaru. The medical talk was beginning to irritate him.

"Yeah," said Sakura. "As a matter of fact, I do have some last words for you to hear before you die.... but I'd rather you feel it..."

Sakura shot a fistful of the chakura into the ground, sending a chattering split in the earth straight towards Orochimaru. She didn't go after him however, but instead shot towards Kabuto at high speed, forcing him to bound backwards as he stared down his nose at a second glowing fist.

As Kabuto's vision blurred from a backward flip to dodge the attack, he felt a tug on his right leg before coming to a halt a few feet away. Looking down, he gasped and looked back up to see Sakura readjusting his weapon holster to the right side of her leg.

"You may be good at medical juitus," said Sakura as she stood up between the two, ".... but you're still too slow."

"Now," said Sakura, reaching into the holster and pulling out a shuriken and explosive note. "Let's even the playing field."

Sakura wrapped the note around the handle of the shuriken and shot it as high as she could into the air. When the shuriken got as far as it could, the note exploded with such a force that it blew the snow below it into a white ring of specks. It was then in that tiny second after the note exploded that Sakura caught the look of fear on Kabuto's face.

"What's wrong, Kabuto?" said Sakura in a low voice. "You look like you didn't want the attention...."

_She's figured it out... _thought Kabuto. _I don't know how long this is going to take, but I'd better do something quick before we get more visitors...._

Not wasting any time responding, Kabuto, in a swift motion of hand symbols shot both hands to the ground so that the ground beneath Sakura rose and fell into a crater. Just as it did so Kabuto charged forward with chakura needles streaming forth from his fingertips, aiming straight for Sakura's head.

_Too slow,_ thought Sakura.

As soon as Kabuto got within reach, Sakura brought both hands up between his arms and latched onto his wrists to spread his arms open before bringing a foot of chakura up to meet his jaw. Keeping her grip on him, she let his head jerk back with full force and heard the muscles in his neck snap. What followed however was Kabuto twisting his hands in to cut the muscles in her wrists.

The loss of strength in her hands told Sakura that her tendons had been cut, and leapt back as her grip on Kabuto failed. Whenever a shinobi could still fight back while taking a hit themselves, it meant that it was going to be a long one.

Sakura moved her left arm so that her limp hand fell before her other wrist. She couldn't move her hand, but she could at least control her chakura. As the blue glow of chakura healed her wrist, Sakura stood there watching Kabuto heal his neck injuries. When she could begin to move her hand again, she switched to heal the other wrist to ensure that she did a thorough job.

Looking over to her side, Sakura saw that Orochimaru had chosen to sit this one out. If there was going to be more trouble ahead, it was best if he kept his energy stored for the next battle.

Kabuto stood there looking at Sakura finish up the first wrist and grimaced as the muscles in his neck stung with pain. This first hit was just a formality, a test of each other's speed and strength. There was no doubt however, that Sakura was definitely matching his speed, and perhaps even hiding her true ability too. It was often in the best interest of a shinobi to not show all their cards at once, just as Sakura had done in reviving herself.

"How's it going, Sakura?" asked Kabuto.

Sakura seethed. She never liked sarcasm in a fight.

"I should ask the same," she responded.

Suddenly a slight brush of wind tickled the back of Sakura's neck, and two snake-like eyes appeared over her shoulder.

_Shit! _thought Sakura.

_SLASH!!!!_

Sakura had just barely dodged as a long sharp blade carved a gash into her arm. As the blood splattered into the air, suddenly something didn't feel right.

Sakura turned to look back at Orochimaru standing with his sword drawn. Apparently he had changed his mind about staying out of the fight, probably because Kabuto must have talked too much. That wasn't what was making Sakura squirm however. For some odd reason, killing intent had surrounded her from all sides, and not just from the two men.

Whispers seemed to ride the wind, and movement was sensed in all directions. Sakura dared to take her eyes off her two opponents for just a brief moment to look at the ground around her.

_Something's not right...._ thought Sakura. _Something's wrong...._

As her eyes darted back and forth, she finally figured out what it was that was bothering her.

_Snakes..._ thought Sakura as she finally made out the slight rise and fall of snow around her. _Little ones...._

Sakura knew that a harder opponent would be the one you cannot see nor sense compared to the giant snakes she had just only recently killed. The smaller snake usually meant it was more poisonous, and she knew that Orochimaru would be saving them much time if she were to get bitten even just once. The reality was quite simple. One bite and they could just walk away as she would be doomed to suffer death without proper medical treatment.

_Fine... _thought Sakura. _I'll just have to get rid of them all.  
_

Sakura could see that Orochimaru and Kabuto were choosing to just wait it out. They recognized that Sakura wasn't much for smaller targets, so they had opted to let the scene unfold as Kabuto continued to heal his injuries.

A look of irritation passed over Sakura's face. This was going to take some time. Turning her back on the two of them, she raced further out into the plain and as she did so, she heard the tiny snaps of the snakes striking out of the snow as she passed. The snow had made it hard for them to anticipate her approach, but if she hesitated for even just a second she would have been bitten. Seeing as their locations were exposed, the snakes did not bother to cover themselves again but instead slithered with their light weight above the surface to trail after Sakura's every move. They were quick and fierce in their movement, but as Sakura got to about a ten foot radius from where she had once stood, she realized that that was the extent of the snakes' plantings. Turning a sharp left, Sakura continued on to draw forth whatever snakes lay hidden else where. As the the tiny slithers grew to a loud symphony of hiss, Sakura made sure that she had done a complete three-hundred and sixty degree turn of the area before stopping to let them catch up.

Sakura nearly threw up when she saw exactly how much of the tiny snakes were following her. They had completely blocked out the white of the snow beneath them like a blanket being dragged across the plain. Pulling out another three explosive notes, Sakura charged at them and leapt into the air before scattering the explosive notes evenly across the patch of snakes. The second that followed brought with it a massive explosion that caught her mid-air and blasted her backward, causing Sakura to skid across the snow as the force obliterated the sea of squirms. It may have been a bit much, but with the snakes having been so tiny, Sakura had to make sure that they were all taken care of.

_I just hope that was all of them,_ thought Sakura as she pulled herself up.

Shaking her head to get her sights straight, Sakura noticed that the two she should have really been paying attention to, had disappeared the moment the notes had gone off. Suddenly two sets of hands grasped both of her ankles, and before she knew it, Sakura had been pulled past the snow and was buried neck deep into the ground.

"Too stupid..." said Kabuto as he stood up to shake the snow off his clothes.

Orochimaru did the same but instead of looking at Sakura, turned to look at Kabuto. "I hope you meant her and not you...."

As Kabuto looked at Orochimaru in a slight moment of confusion, he looked down at Sakura and realized what he had meant.

The glazed eyes of Sakura followed by the tiny poof of a replacement juitsu revealed that the Sakura they had grabbed was not the real one, and as the remnants of smoke cleared, there was nothing but an empty hole that now lay before them.

The sound of the wind whisping the top of the snow was all that could be heard as Orochimaru and Kabuto looked about. As they stared over the white surface of the plain, they listened for any abnormal sounds and tried to feel out a presence.

"Pretty good... she's concealed her presence well..." said Orochimaru. "Still.... her chakura's like Tsunade's, too big and too bold to hide completely."

Orochimaru threw his sword at a place fifteen feet away. The moment it pierced the surface of the snow, a knee and head popped out as the image of Sakura wrenched in pain. As the two were about to move forward and finish her off, they stopped.

"Genjuitsu..." whispered Kabuto.

Suddenly the tiny details of the world around them dissipated, and the sharp pain of chakura shot into Kabuto and Orochimaru's spines. Sakura had performed the genjuitsu as soon as the explosion had taken place, ensuring that their attention was distracted by the blast. She had been behind them the entire time.

Kabuto had felt his body go numb. Sakura had paralyzed him temporarily, but she wasn't sure how long it would last. As Kabuto's body dropped into the snow, Orochimaru's remained standing.

"How....." whispered Sakura, but her question was soon to be answered.

Orochimaru turned around to face Sakura to let her witness the technique that only the other members of Team 7 had seen. Sakura stood there in horror as she watched the folds of Orochimaru's lips stretch open and peel back leaving a slimy residue on what seemed to be a head of hair. The skin and clothing of Orochimaru's body peeled down to reveal a new body of his, something that Sakura knew was humanly impossible, yet there it lay before her. As the skin reached the tops of Orochimaru's shoulder's, Sakura knew that she should strike now instead of waiting for his transformation to be complete.

Filling her right fist full of chakura, Sakura had only just lifted up her hand when a sword cut up through the rest of Orochimaru's skin and pierced her right shoulder. Snakes then shot up the blade to entangle themselves around her neck and arms, rendering Sakura virtually helpless as they tightened their bonds of her.

Orochimaru stepped out of his former suit and pushed Sakura back with a few presses of his sword.

"Amazing...." whispered Orochimaru. "I was wrong to think that I was fighting Tsunade. I forgot that although you are her student, you are still an entirely different person.... Tsunade was never very useful when it came to performing genjuitsus. You, however, seem to be quite talented with this skill, though lacking when matched with Tsunade's sheer strength.... Where one is lacking, the other takes its place.... truly amazing."

Orochimaru stepped slowly in towards Sakura, and let his tongue slip out to lick Sakura's face.

"I can see why Itachi likes you..." he whispered into her ear.

It wasn't the feel of his cold and slimy tongue that was now creeping Sakura out, but the gleam in Orochimaru's eyes suddenly shot Sakura's heart and made her feel a new threat of terror come over her. It was the terror of any female shinobi, often being forced to use it to get their way, but also often taken by force when caught unawares. Sakura had never thought of him this way, but Orochimaru was still a man.

Sakura cringed as she felt his breath upon her, but her eyes went wide with horror when she saw his tongue grow even longer and drag its way from her face down to her neck, before continuing on further south. Sakura thrashed violently and made struggled breaths as she tried to break free from his hold.

The look on Sakura's face of fear coupled with anger made Orochimaru's heart race with pure excitement. It was in the torture of others that he derived the most pleasure, and Sakura was playing right into it.

"Don't worry, Sakura..." said Orochimaru. "It won't hurt. On the contrary, it may feel good to you...."

Sakura knew that she couldn't break free in the position she was in. Gritting her teeth, Sakura shut her eyes for what was to happen next.

The feel of hot liquid streamed down the inside of her leg. Suddenly she felt a jerk and the blade that was in her shoulder was ripped out with a head-splitting pain. Sakura opened her eyes and looked down at the ground to see a long tongue squirming in the white snow below. Fresh blood was dripping down her legs.

Sakura looked up to see that Orochimaru's eyes weren't focused on her. Turning her head to the side, she stopped breathing.

_Itachi....._


	24. Chapter 24

"ITACHI!!!!!" Sakura screamed, trying to wriggle free from her bonds.

Itachi could be seen in the distance running towards them. He was still far off, but he had got there just in time.

Sakura suddenly felt a chill up her spine and the snakes holding her tighten. Looking back at Orochimaru, she could tell by his eyes what he was thinking. Sakura threw herself to the ground as Orochimaru's blade came up to kill her. It was evident that he was trying to get rid of her before having to deal with Itachi as well. Rolling back onto her feet. Sakura crouched and waited for the next moment when the blade came in to decapitate her. Ducking, the blade missed her head and Sakura rolled sideways as Orochimaru brought it back for a downward slice. However, as the blade hit the ground, so too did his foot connect with Sakura's face, forcing her to fall on the flat of her back.

Itachi's eyes narrowed as the scene played before him. His breathing was silent but his movement was like the wind. Every part of his body was concentrating on getting itself to Sakura as quickly as possible. Pulling out a kunai, he dashed and made it just in time to catch Orochimaru's blade as it no doubt would have pierced her that time.

Sakura looked up to see Itachi's cloak whip from the sudden stop and block her from Orochimaru's view. It was then that she noticed that he had dropped a second kunai in front of her. Grabbing it, Sakura sliced up the snakes as quickly as she could so that they wouldn't bite her, and grimaced as she felt the snakes drop from her. She couldn't help but give her shoulders a rub to reduce the creepy feeling she now had from them.

"Sakura, run," said Itachi as she stood up.

Sakura completely ignored that command thinking it was dumb of him to even suggest such a stupid thing, but as she prepared to help him out, she noticed that something was missing.

_Kabuto...._ thought Sakura as she whipped around to look for him.

The spot where Kabuto should have been was now empty. It seemed that the paralysis had worn off, and Kabuto was now either hiding or going to strike.

Suddenly the killing intent was so strong that Sakura instinctively stepped sideways. The view of a scalpel suddenly crept into her line of vision as Kabuto swiped it down next to her. Sakura then jumped back as he turned the tip towards her in a stabbing motion.

_So the pouch isn't the only place he held his weapons, _thought Sakura as she continued to dodge. _Time to do some digging..._

Suddenly Sakura shot at Kabuto and closed the gap between them. The sudden enclosure made Kabuto wince and hesitate right before Sakura gave him a sharp head-butt.

"Compliments of Naruto!" yelled Sakura as Kabuto flew back.

Kabuto winced in pain as he knew that he was now bleeding from a fresh wound. However, just as he felt his body touch the ground, so too did he feel a fist lodge itself into his core. The ground beneath him shattered into a crater and out came an involuntary cough of blood.

Sakura felt something weird when she struck, and understood that the reason why he wasn't dead was because he had already begun to heal himself on impact. Not wasting time in letting him heal any further, Sakura came in for a finishing move. Another glow of blue, and Sakura brought her fist straight down for Kabuto's head. However, just as Sakura's fist came an inch from Kabuto's head, snakes shot at her and wrapped itself around her arm, stopping her completely in her tracks. Following the long body of the snakes, Sakura looked over her shoulder to see Orochimaru still locked with Itachi, but he had been watching her the whole time in order to avoid the Mangekyou-Sharingan.

Orochimaru's eyes were full of malice, and hell-bent on stopping Sakura from killing Kabuto. However, as he looked over at Sakura's angry countenance, his heart stopped when he saw her expression change into a smirk.

_Close enough._

_BOOOOM!!!!!!_

Sakura flicked all four of her fingers at Kabuto's unprotected forehead, lodging every bit of chakura she had stored in that fist. The brunt of the attack was enough to shatter Kabuto's skull and kill him instantly.

"Too good of a death...." whispered Sakura as she stared down at Kabuto's disfigured face.

Orochimaru's eyes widened in terror as he recognized the move that Tsunade had used so many times upon Jiraiya. Tsunade had only ever used one finger though, and never did Jiraiya have something stopping him from flying back. The only place Kabuto's head could go, was in.

Catching hold of the snake shooting out of his sleeve, he yanked it so hard that it whipped Sakura into the air. Sakura was not expecting something so soon, and suddenly felt her body soar through the air before yelping in pain when she was slammed to the ground.

Orochimaru didn't care about Itachi anymore. His only desire now was to kill the menacing girl that had brought him so much grief. Shoving Itachi back, Orochimaru shot as many snakes as he could in that moment towards Itachi.

Itachi knew the image of those snakes well. Having once worked alongside Orochimaru, he had begun to recognize the poisonous ones.

"Katon! Gokakyu no jutsu!" yelled Itachi.

Flames shot forth from Itachi's mouth and engulfed the snakes with a staggering heat. As the snakes were burned into ash and soot, Itachi's view slowly cleared as he began to make out what was happening on the other side of it. The long black hair of Orochimaru could be seen running towards Sakura's tiny body that was trying to get off the floor.

Itachi burst through the remaining flames towards Sakura, but already knew that he was going to be too late.

_Get up, Sakura,_ thought Itachi. _Get up!_

As Itachi's feet barely touched the ground with his speed, he already knew.

_I'm not going to make it!_

A flash from a long blade of a sword blinded Sakura when she turned to see Orochimaru coming towards her, but it was in that split second that she understood that it was too late. Shutting her eyes, Sakura felt a spray of blood splatter across her face, but didn't feel a thing.

Opening her eyes, Sakura looked up to see what she first thought to be Itachi, but the colors were different. The white, black, and purple hues of Sasuke's clothing were now dampened by red.

"Sasuke!" yelled Orochimaru as he stared at the blade that caught his. In a rush to stop the impact, Sasuke had to let the blade cut himself in order for it to be successful.

Sasuke's face was expressionless, the same placid look that often graced his brother's face.

Sakura gasped as she saw the silver blade now tainted with blood protruding from the same spot that she had gotten stabbed. Looking at Sasuke in horror, she knew that this was his version of punishing himself for what he had done to her.

Suddenly Sasuke kicked Orochimaru and sent him flying back, the blade pulling out of him as he went. Behind at a distance was Itachi who had stopped the moment he saw Sasuke intervene. He had never been more thankful of his brother than in that moment.

"Don't defy me...." said Orochimaru. "You'll never win against your brother if you do...."

"I don't need you anymore.... I've learned all that I possibly could and no longer have a use for you," said Sasuke, noting with his Sharingan that Orochimaru had thought it would have been the other way around. "You didn't think that someone with a mission such as mine would have ever surrendered it to another cause, did you? Orochimaru, you should have known better than that....."

"Hmph.... I did."

Two hands shot suddenly from the ground and grabbed Sasuke's ankles. In the next moment Sasuke screamed in pain as the hands glowed blue and began to kill the muscles in his ankles. Sakura thought quickly and slammed a fist into the ground by Sasuke's feet, peeling the earth open to reveal a very deranged looking Kabuto. Surprised as ever, Sakura ignored her shock and shot two shuriken at Kabuto to get him to let go.

Sakura kept her eyes on Kabuto as she pulled Sasuke out of the wreckage. She could tell by the way he stepped with her that his balance was now thrown off by Kabuto's technique. As they made their way onto stable ground, Sasuke exchanged places so that it was more like he was leading her away from danger than she was for him.

"I have to get you out of here," said Sasuke. "Otherwise the dork will kill me."

"Naruto..." whispered Sakura. "Where is he?"

"About to make his grand entrance...."

"OROCHIMARU!!!!" came a yell from across the plain. "I AM HERE TO TAKE BACK SASUKE!!!!!"

"..... What an idiot...." said Kabuto.

"How?...." asked Sakura. "You were dead. I felt it...."

Kabuto gave a small chuckle. Pulling out a scroll, he unrolled it to reveal what looked like seal marks with captions that showed different ages and sex. One of the seal marks that should have held a character was empty.

"You replaced yourself with a dead body....." said Sakura. "But when...."

That was when it hit her. The moment Orochimaru had wrapped his snakes around her arms it made her look away. Though, judging by the marks and blood on Kabuto's arms and face, he didn't get clear of the impact.

"Arigatou, Orochimaru-sama," said Kabuto.

"That was too close, Kabuto. Do I need to babysit you from now on?"

"That will not be necessary. I've made the preparations...."

Even though Sakura was a bit away, she heard what he said and didn't like the sound of it. The whole outcome of a fight could be determined based on preparation alone. If there was something that they weren't seeing or sensing at the moment, it was bad.

"What do you see?" Sakura asked Sasuke, hoping that the Sharingan could catch what she couldn't.

"That's the problem..... I can't."

"What?"

Sakura looked at Sasuke and noticed that his eyes looked slightly glazed over, and soon his Sharingan began to fade.

"How do you feel?" asked Sakura.

"Like my insides are swirling."

Sakura checked his pulse and thought for a second.

"He's disrupted your chakura flow. It should be temporary though, because he didn't have enough time."

"Can you fix it?"

"No.... What he did was a messy rush job of it and I don't have a Byakuugan to assist me. You're just going to have to wait it out."

"Where's Itachi?"

Sakura paused for a moment. She didn't know what he was thinking.

".....Flanking Orochimaru on the other side."

"Can he get to you?"

"Not if I stay here."

"Then I want you to go."

"What? Sasuke, it's not me they want anymore. It's you!"

"I know, but that's not the point. You need to get back to the kid."

"The kid's fine as long as he's not with them!"

"Hmph.... Fine. Where's Naruto?"

"Coming up on our left."

Sasuke kept facing straight ahead, hoping to dispel any illusions of his being temporary blind. Thinking for a moment, he took the chance to use the brief moment for a plan.

"Three sides covered, only one way out...." said Sasuke.

"What?" asked Sakura in confusion.

"There's four of us and Orochimaru and Kabuto are together. We need to block the escape."

"I'll take it," said Sakura, confident that she could stop them.

"No. It'll have to be me. I have to make them think that I'm still capable."

"But if they're after you, then wouldn't you be an open target?"

"We can't let them leave. Naruto may be dumb, but his resilience is what frightens them, and they know I'm more than capable.... They'll come for you because they think you're the weakest. They wouldn't turn their backs to Itachi, but to get through you, they might."

Sakura wasn't scared. In fact, it was exactly what she wanted. She was so sick and tired of having everyone cover for her all her life. Now was the time that she'd prove herself as the most invaluable comrade. Little did she know however, that she already was.

Sakura tried to foresee what it was that Sasuke was trying to do, and it was the fact that she'd still be completely opposite of Itachi that would create the best opening for him.

"So you're forcing them to turn their backs to Itachi," said Sakura. "What do you intend to do then?"

"I'll leave the rest up to you," said Sasuke.

Suddenly Sasuke took off to cover the fourth and empty side, feeling the wind and tasting the breeze as he went. He knew that Orochimaru and Kabuto wouldn't move, but what he didn't know was that they were not going to go after Sakura.

Dashing towards Sasuke, Orochimaru and Kabuto deemed it better to take back their prize by force rather than risk death by Itachi. The move was unexpected, and Sakura immediately took off to meet them before they got to Sasuke.

Whipping out two shuriken, Sakura shot them at Kabuto who deflected them to let Orochimaru take the lead. Hearing that they were coming, Sasuke halted and stabbed his blade into the ground.

"CHIDORI!!!" shouted Sasuke, his entire body becoming wrapped with electricity.

As the bolts of electricity formed and expanded to the space around him, Itachi could not help but admire the length to which Sasuke had grown.

Orochimaru and Kabuto stopped in their tracks. They knew better than to step in that field. Still, Orochimaru knew that even if Sasuke was protecting himself in this manner, it would still be a challenge if put up to the sheer weight of a snake.

Summoning the biggest snake he could, Orochimaru watched as Sasuke became alerted to a giant presence and dodged backward to try and avoid what he couldn't see. In his haste, he left his sword behind.

"Sasuke!!!" shouted Naruto, seeing now that something was terribly wrong.

Sakura sprinted towards Sasuke, causing Itachi to follow her moves, and as the two of them closed in on the three, the snake opened its mouth and swallowed Sasuke whole.

"Shit!" yelled Sakura, pushing harder to reach them.

"Katon! Gokakyu no juitsu!!!"

A fiery blaze erupted from Itachi's mouth and circled the giant snake. Nearly getting charred herself, Sakura skidded to stop herself from becoming part of the blaze. Orochimaru and Kabuto leapt out of danger as well.

The snake that was about to take off with Sasuke was now thrashing from the heat that surrounded it.

"Sakura, go!" yelled Itachi.

Sakura took off straight towards Sasuke's blade and ripped it out of the ground. Just as she was a about to come close to the flames, Naruto's Shadow Clones flanked her and ran ahead to give her a boost. Joining their hands together, a launching pad was set for Sakura's feet as she jumped on and was flung directly towards the snake's delirious actions. Sakura could feel the heat from below and prayed that the snake wouldn't whip its head her way. Just as she came close though, she drove that thought out of her mind as she aimed to cut the snake's head.

Sakura felt the blade connect and held on tight to follow through with her cut. Though the snake's head was much thicker than the length of her sword, she made sure that the depth at which she cut was at maximum capacity. When she felt the tug of her blade hitting air, Sakura fell towards the earth before stabbing the snake's body to swing herself up out of the flames and onto the snake's back. Ripping out the sword, Sakura charged towards the head to find what she and Naruto had desperately looked for all those years.

"Sasuke!!!" yelled Sakura as she came upon the snake's head. Unsure of where he was, she didn't want to start cutting the snake up if it meant cutting him by accident. Sakura looked around frantically for any movement, but soon she was joined by an extra set of eyes.

Naruto had flung himself in after her, and now he too was searching for movements of Sasuke's being. However, as the two stood there quite helplessly, the top of the snake's snout was sliced open with what could only have been a chidori cut.

Naruto and Sakura ran over to peel the folds back. As soon as they caught sight of Sasuke's white collar, they latched on and pulled as hard as they could. The blood of the snake drenched their arms and soaked their clothes.

"Sasuke! Teme!!!" yelled Naruto as he pulled with all of his might.

Sakura let go and stood up.

"Don't move!" she yelled to both of them.

Picking up the sword, Sakura slashed to make a cross cut and stabbed a piece of the snake's flesh to fold it back.

"There! Can you get him!?" she gasped.

Naruto grabbed both sides of Sasuke's collar and ripped upward as hard as he could. When Sasuke's black hair surfaced, they could see that he was now unconscious and not breathing.

As soon as Naruto got Sasuke's upper-body out of the snake's folds, Sakura let go of the sword to put Sasuke's arm around her neck and lift him out. Naruto on the other side did the same, though with less energy than before.

Sakura looked around at the flames and tried to decide which way to go. Looking over to where she last saw Itachi, she found that he was already in a heated battle with Orochimaru and Kabuto.

"I need to resuscitate him!" said Sakura to Naruto. "Let's do it here!"

Naruto put Sasuke down and cleared the snake's blood off of his face. Sakura didn't waste any time in getting down to start breathing air in to Sasuke's lungs, careful to keep an eye on his pulse in case she needed to start pumping his chest.

Naruto had the utmost concern for Sasuke's well-being in that moment, but he still couldn't help but be jealous that it was Sasuke who would get the first taste of Sakura's lips after all those years. However, the sight of the snake's blood intertwining with Sakura's face brought him back to reality really quick, and all he could hear then was the sound of the flames surrounding them.

The seconds seemed to be minutes, and as Naruto sat there watching Sasuke's chest rise and fall, he reached out and clutched the sleeve of Sasuke's shirt unconsciously.

"Don't worry, Naruto," said Sakura, sitting up. "He's not going anywhere just yet."

Naruto noticed that Sasuke's chest was now rising and falling on its own, a beautiful sign for anyone on his end.

Sakura stood up to grab Sasuke's sword before lifting his arm around her neck again. Naruto went and did the same to the other side. As the two of them held their third, they walked down the back of the snake to its end where the flames were the smallest and least.

"Hang on a sec," said Naruto, letting going of Sasuke's arms to form hand signals. "Kage buushin no juitsu!"

The smoke from Naruto's Shadow Clones were quickly discarded by the flames. As two of the clones held onto Sasuke, the other two went ahead to throw Naruto and Sakura to the other side. When Naruto and Sakura were ready, the clones gave each other a hand and tossed Sasuke over to them, and once the coast was clear, they vanished with the sound of tiny poofs.

Naruto pulled a water canteen out of his bag and splashed it onto Sasuke's face. The sudden splurge of cold clean water instantly made him stir.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" asked Sakura.

Opening his eyes, Sasuke could make out the blurry shapes of his comrades standing over him.

"Oi, Sasuke-teme, it's time to stop snoozing and finish this," said Naruto with a serious voice but a warm-hearted smile.

Naruto and Sakura both felt the pangs of heartache. They knew that even though Sasuke lay before them, he was still not all theirs yet, and rather than get their hopes up, they chose to just treat him as if nothing of the past wrongs had happened.

"I have to go," said Sakura. "Watch him."

Sakura ran off towards Itachi leaving Naruto's jaw dropped and unable to do anything now that he was stuck with Sasuke. Wanting to run after her, Naruto threw all formalities he had left, out the window.

"Sasuke, get up!" yelled Naruto. "Sakura needs our help!!"

Sasuke shook his head and sat up. Blinking several times, he found that the shapes around him began to take a more detailed form. It wasn't up to par, but it was enough.

"Let's go," said Sasuke, standing up.

"Alright," said Naruto with a grin. He knew that this stretch was going to be the last in their final fight with Orochimaru.

* * *

Itachi wasn't winning, nor was he failing. In his attempt to buy Sakura some time, he held off Orochimaru and Kabuto as long as he could. Although his Sharingan was activated, he didn't bother to use the Mangekyou Sharingan as it meant taking one eye off the other.

"Katon. Gokakyu no juitsu," Itachi spoke.

A large ball of flame shot towards Kabuto and left Orochimaru to take all the physical hits, but as Orochimaru fought off Itachi's attacks, Kabuto was quick to recover and rejoin the fight.

Orochimaru thought relentlessly on his next move. All he could do right now was defend himself, but he knew that it would only be a matter of moments before the others came back into the fight.

_I need to throw him off,_ thought Orochimaru. _This is not going to last...._

Orochimaru soon saw Kabuto skid across the ground in front of him. Apparently Sakura had already reached them, but that's when the idea struck him.

_With someone as calm and settled as Itachi, beating him would take a great deal of enduring strength, something that Kabuto does not have and I am not up to performing in such a weakened state. I need to weaken his mind. Sakura is the only solution...._

Orochimaru suddenly shot as many snakes as he could summon directly at Itachi. As soon as Itachi was pushed back, Orochimaru made hand signals that sent the earth trembling beneath them.

Sakura wobbled as the ground shook with such a force that it knocked her off her feet. Kabuto was just as startled and fell over too. As Sakura sat there clutching the grass, she looked over at Orochimaru. What scared her was the grin he had on his face and the fact that he was staring directly at her.

"What's going on!?!" shouted Naruto to Sasuke as they looked over towards Sakura.

"No....." whispered Sasuke, taking off towards Sakura as fast as he could. However, he had no sooner taken three steps before the ground surrounding Sakura shot up towards the sky, sending a wave of dirt at Naruto and himself.

"SAKURA!!!!!!" screamed Naruto, but the sheer mass of dirt that came towards him forced him to flee at top speed.

Itachi panicked. He too had seen the same sight and knew that Orochimaru had just got one up on him.

As the dust and dirt settled, Sasuke, Naruto, and Itachi were staring at the Demon Gates of Rashomon, Orochimaru's greatest defense.

"What the?...." said Naruto. "I.... I think I've seen these before....."

The Demon gates of Rashomon had risen to form a four-walled barrier. The massive height and length of the walls left Sakura in the most Northern corner, a huge field of darkness lying behind her with two predators who waited in the shadows for things to calm.

Sakura gulped. She knew she was in trouble. After all the stalling and all of the help she had managed to get, she was right back where she started.

_Alone......_


	25. Chapter 25

"SAKURA!!!!" shouted Naruto as he bounded over the piles of rock and rubble. "SAKURA!!!!!!!"

Following behind Naruto was Sasuke. As soon as the dust had settled they were running back towards the demon gates, eager to find a way in to their teammate.

When Naruto reached the gates, he wasted no time in summoning Shadow Clones and had them both surrounding him to create the Odama Rasengan, a giant Rasengan that had to be held by himself and another clone in order to stabilize its size.

"RASENGAN!!!" shouted the Narutos as they slammed the ball into the gate.

At first the Rasengan seemed to have had an impact as it squished against the gate, but the force of it was not enough however, as the ball of chakura started pushing back. Before Naruto knew it, he was thrown back when it needed to find another exit. As Naruto skid across the hard rubble, he was nicked and battered against its hard edges but was snatched up by the collar when he nearly struck a sharp edge.

"Arigatou, Sasuke," said Naruto when he realized what he was saved from.

Naruto dusted off his pants and looked up at the gate that towered before him.

"How the hell are we supposed to get in there?" asked Naruto under his breath.

Sasuke was silent. He was wondering that himself. Even using his cursed seal mark wouldn't have helped. The heavy weight of it made it ideal for gliding mostly, and there were no nearby mountains that could get him high enough.

"Do you think we could run it?" asked Naruto with his hand shielding his eyes from the sun.

"We could get halfway, at best," answered Sasuke. "We'd have a real problem once we hit the roof of the gate. It's too big and slanted so that we wouldn't be able to really catch it, even if we did manage to run that high. I doubt even then that that is all that gate is good for. Who knows what would happen if you tried to climb over it."

"What about your wings?" said Naruto, cringing at the mere thought of the giant hands that protruded from Sasuke's back when he saw it the first time.

Sasuke shook his head.

At a loss, Naruto turned his eyes towards the ground before looking back up at the gate. There had to be something they could do.

"We could wait," said Sasuke.

"What?" asked Naruto, shaking his head in surprise.

"We could wait here, and trust that Sakura can handle this situation by herself," repeated Sasuke.

"Are you mad?"

"...... I see that our time apart has not made you any more wiser. You don't even recognize the ability that she now possesses."

Naruto made a noise with his mouth in defense.

"....I recognize her ability..." said Naruto under his breath. ".... I just want to make sure that she uses it correctly."

Suddenly there was a vibration and a whisper.

"What was that!?!" shouted Naruto, but Sasuke just looked to the left corner of the gate.

As the whisper got louder, Naruto took a few steps back, and waited as the sound of it continued to progress. Sasuke too, began to retreat.

All of a sudden black flames shot out from around the corner as if someone were putting a blow torch to the gate, but the black flames were something they had never seen before. At least, Sasuke didn't.

"Itachi...." said Naruto.

Naruto took off towards the corner as soon as the flames fell back. Coming around the bend, he saw Itachi in the distance, standing with a concentrated gaze upon the gate.

_Not even the Amaterasu worked... _thought Itachi as his Sharingan disappeared.

"Itachi!" yelled Naruto, waving his hand in the air as he ran towards him.

Itachi looked towards Naruto. He knew that Sasuke wouldn't be far behind.

"Itachi," huffed Naruto as he reached him. "Any idea on what to do?"

Itachi shook his head, and for a brief second, his eyes betrayed his worries to the outside world. Though Naruto caught a glimpse of it, he didn't acknowledge it because he knew that it would only have made it worse.

"Do you think we can break in somehow?" asked Naruto, but he stopped in his questioning when he noticed that Itachi was looking behind him. Seeing the look he had, Naruto knew that his gaze had been cast on Sasuke.

Naruto didn't even turn around. Instead, he just straightened up and began to speak in a low and serious tone.

"I don't know what you two are thinking, but if you start fighting with each other now, we're going to lose the one person we all care for the most. It doesn't matter to me what you two have going on, but if I see one of you turn on the other before I get Sakura back....I will kill you...."

Itachi and Sasuke turned their eyes off eachother to look at Naruto. There was something in his voice that told the absolute truth. If they didn't get Sakura back before they started settling scores, Naruto really would kill them.

Naruto was silent. He stood there and let a breeze pass until he could feel that his words had impacted them. "Good," he said. "Now, what can we do?"

Itachi looked at Naruto and didn't address Sasuke.

"My Amaterasu is about as hot as the sun, if not hotter," said Itachi, looking at the black scorch marks that were left behind. "If anything would have gotten through, that would have been it...."

Naruto sighed in a disappointed breath before moving to a growl.

"What are we gonna do now!?! Sakura could be under attack already!!!" yelled Naruto with his fingers in his hair.

Itachi was silently staring up at the gate. His emotions were getting to him because his ability to think strategy in a time like this was becoming foggy.

"....There's one thing that can get through...." said Sasuke.

Itachi and Naruto looked at him.

"In fact,"continued Sasuke. "I heard it got through several of the gates....."

"What???" said Naruto in bewilderment. "What is it???"

Sasuke turned around to look Naruto square in the eye.

"It's you..."

"What?" asked Naruto, clearly confused.

"You don't remember it, but from what I heard, the last time you fought Orochimaru you had summoned four tails of the Kyuubi and blasted a hole right through the gates...."

Naruto's memory flashed back to the time that he had hurt Sakura. He didn't remember a thing then, but he did remember how awful and stupid he felt when he found out that his anger had not only taken control, but caused him to hurt a precious comrade. He was lucky that Yamato was there. If he hadn't, Naruto would really have been lost for good that time.

"...I... I can't control it..." whispered Naruto. "I hurt Sakura the last time.... I didn't even recognize her, and I didn't even remember what I had done...."

Itachi and Sasuke looked at each other. They knew they didn't have time to waste, but they also knew that neither of them could control the Kyuub itself without proper preparation.

"What would happen if the Kyuubi came?" asked Itachi.

Naruto looked down at his hands and images began to trickle in of his bloody wounds that stood out when he had finally come to.

"I would be damaged, every part of me. My skin and flesh would burn from the Kyuubi's chakura and there'd be no stopping me. I wouldn't know friend from enemy and I just might end up destroying Sakura if she got in the way," finished Naruto as he turned to look Itachi square in the eye. "We could all end up losing everything."

Itachi was troubled. They really didn't have any other way.

"Wait...." said Naruto suddenly, turning away from the gate and the others so that he could think straight. ".... If the fourth tail came, it would still be in my body. It would still be influenced by my emotions and thoughts.... If I were to take the form of the Kyuubi, I just might center my attention on Orochimaru and Kabuto alone...."

"Are you sure that would happen?" asked Itachi.

"Yes.... If no one got in my way, yes. From what was explained to me after it happened the last time, I had run off chasing after Orochimaru. My anger towards him is what set me off in the first place, but I actually chased him down to try and kill him. Sakura only got hurt because she tried to change me back. It could work!" shouted Naruto, whipping around to face Sasuke.

Sasuke looked at Naruto with a blank expression that seemed as if he didn't care. His reply however, spoke very differently.

"No...." said Sasuke bluntly. "Instead of losing Sakura, we'd lose you instead."

"It doesn't matter!" yelled Naruto. He wasn't going to let them even think it. "I would die for Sakura before she even got hurt! She is the one person that holds us together! She is the one reason that I didn't say 'screw it' to getting you back, Sasuke! I would have dropped your traitorous ass a long time ago if I hadn't promised her that I'd bring you back! You may be my friend, but even friends have a limit to their patience! She and I put up with a lot of shit from the villagers when you left! We fought hard to keep you in our constant thoughts, and it's all because of her! Don't tell me I can't give my life for her!!!"

The last sentence reverberated into the forest. All that was left was silence between the three. No one could contest Naruto's decision after that. They could see then that they had no right.

"Alright..." said Itachi, voicing the answer that his brother could not seem to summon. "We'll do it. The question is, how do we bring you back? I'm not doing it unless we can. Setting the Kyuubi loose on Orochimaru is one thing, but risking the chance that you might attack another village, or even worse, letting it go back to Konoha, would be disastrous on all our parts. Though, I think the worst would be Sakura's fury when she finds out what we did...."

Naruto gulped. He hadn't thought about Sakura's destructive temper. The last time he was beat by her fists he actually had to see a doctor, and the memory of it was still a bit hazy.

".... You've got a point...." whispered Naruto. The look of fear was evident in his eyes. "Still..... You can always bring me back this way...."

Naruto dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a tiny envelope. Opening the fold he pulled out a little paper with the character "seal" drawn upon it.

"If Yamato-taichou isn't here to do it, you can use this to bring me back," explained Naruto, slipping the paper back into the envelope and passing it over to Itachi. "Kakashi-sensei gave it to me before we separated, and told me it should be use the moment the tails start to appear. Still, I don't know if it'll work on me once the fourth tail completely takes over my body, but we've got no time to test it out.... Even if Sakura is angry with me for the rest of her life, I could never live with myself if I lost her...."

It was in that moment that they all understood the degree to which Naruto would sacrifice for Sakura, including if it meant Naruto's life itself. Itachi looked at Naruto in gratefulness, but in the last moment before Itachi averted his eyes, Naruto saw that his expression changed to be as if looking at someone whom he may never see again, before slipping the envelope into his coat.

"So...." said Sasuke. "Can you voluntarily let the Kyuubi go?"

Naruto thought for a second. He had only ever called upon the Kyuubi in situations where he had gotten the living daylights knocked out of him, literally, or it had naturally arisen to overtake him while being unconsciously on the verge of death.

"Well.... Let me see...." said Naruto, shutting his eyes.

Sasuke and Itachi looked at Naruto with strong intent, carefully watching his facial expressions to see if he had made contact. A breeze whispered past, brushing up the snowflakes that lay fresh and soft upon the ground. Though the surroundings were silent, their insides were screaming with impatience and anxiousness. When a minute had passed, Naruto let out a deep sigh.

"It's no use..." said Naruto, opening his eyes.

"What a waste of a minute," said Sasuke.

"Shut up, Sasuke!"

Naruto gritted his teeth at Sasuke, knowing all too well that familiar look of lameness in his eyes after years of experience. Still, it was somewhat of a comfort to Naruto because it meant that the Sasuke he knew was still somewhere in there, and it was the one familiar thing he had with him in his last moment of consciousness, being glad that it belonged to an old friend.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Sasuke, sheathing his sword.

"Well, I guess we're going to have to do it the tried and true way," answered Naruto, once again turning his eyes to the gates and putting his hands on his head to stretch his back.

"What's that?"

Naruto heaved a deep sigh. "Well.... you have to get me pissed off.... pissed out of my mind actually.... and at the same time my life has to be endangered, I guess. That's how it normally happens...."

"Fine," said Sasuke, stepping in front of him. "You ready?"

"Just a second," said Naruto.

Naruto looked up at the sky and watched a patch of blue peek through the remnants of the passing storm above them. In the brief moment that the sun shone through, the light struck Naruto and the others, warming their souls in a bit comfort. It was perhaps the last moment that Naruto would be able to recognize the color, to breathe in its severity of freedom and hope. Looking down to the ground he then dug his foot into the snow, and the others watched him give a sad smile at the clear imprint of his shoe that was left behind. Naruto never thought he had ever made such a clear imprint as this in all his life. As the presence of the others were ever imminent around him, Naruto then proceeded to check all of his pockets.

Shuriken, kunai, explosive notes, and a bit of twine, were all that was left in Naruto's pouch.

_Hmm? What's this? _thought Naruto.

Grabbing what felt like a book, Naruto pulled out the latest edition of _Make-Out Tactics._

"You're reading those now?" asked Sasuke, remembering the all too familiar companion of his former sensei.

Naruto huffed a small laugh.

"No," said Naruto. "I just forgot to give it back to Kakashi after I stole it for fun."

Digging into his pouch again, Naruto pulled out a pen and began to write:

_Please tell Ero-senin and Tsunade-sama goodbye for me. I was lucky to have known them. _

_Arigatou, Kakashi-sensei.  
_

Naruto slipped the book back into his pouch. Knowing that he wouldn't need it, he tossed it over to Itachi.

"Don't lose it," said Naruto.

Itachi nodded.

"Ok, Sasuke.... I'm ready."

Sasuke stepped forward in an instant to pick Naruto up by the neck. As Naruto looked down at Sasuke, he saw his eyes switch to the Sharingan and everything went black.

* * *

_Wet footsteps were heard in Naruto's mind, and he could feel the slight tremors of water as Sasuke's feet stepped through the dark halls of his unconsciousness. _

_"Sasuke...." came a faint voice that sounded like Naruto. "Whatever you do, do not break the seal!" _

_Sasuke's eyes darted ahead when he heard a deep echo. It sounded like something large was lurking in the room up ahead. Stopping for a brief moment, Sasuke took one last chance to calm the nerves of his friend._

_"Don't worry.... I won't let it go...."_

_Waiting to see if Naruto would respond, there was nothing. So, Sasuke once again made his way down the dark corridor, knowing that this time would be the true test of his skills.  
_

_"You again?" came a menacing voice that shook the water when it spoke. The Kyuubi hadn't even seen that it was Sasuke, but he could smell him from around the corner. "What does the fearsome Uchiha want now?" _

_"Hello, Kyuubi..." said Sasuke as he rounded the corner. "You know what I want..."_

_"If you think I'm going to waste my power on saving that girl, then you came here for nothing....."_

_Sasuke walked to the center of the room and faced the giant eyes of the Kyuubi. Bringing his hand up to his side, Sasuke withdrew his sword. Stabbing it into the ground, he addressed the Kyuubi. _

_"Last chance...." _

_The Kyuubi looked at him with doubtful eyes and laughed. _

_"You can't hurt me without breaking the seal."_

_"You're right. I can't....... CHIDORI!!!"_

_Lightning flowed through Sasuke's arm, down his blade, and shocked through the water until it hit the walls. The electricity couldn't break the seal, but it had a different effect. _

_"AAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!" came a scream of pain from Naruto's voice that reverberated off the walls and shook its foundations. _

_Sasuke sent a stronger pulse and the screaming got louder. _

_"Do you feel it, Kyuubi!?!" shouted Sasuke. "Your container is dying! He said he'd die for her, and he will! If he dies, you just might die too!" _

_The Kyuubi's eyes narrowed in anger. Sasuke had not planned to persuade him by mere words, but was actually trying to force him into helping them. There wasn't enough time to be talking, so Sasuke had chosen to do the direct approach. _

_"What will it be, Kyuubi?" asked Sasuke. _

_The Kyuubi growled and the water around Sasuke turned red with its chakura. _

_"Alright.... you win...."_

_Sasuke stopped the Chidori and stood up to read the Kyuubi's intentions. _

_"We just need four tails.... that's all...." said Sasuke. _

_"Fine." _

_".... but you have to promise to help bring him back...." _

_The Kyuubi chuckled. "You know, this kid is something else. Once I let him have some of my chakura, his anger makes it difficult to reign it back in... Four tails may be too much for me to recall.... Besides... if he loses complete control, I'll be free to do whatever I want..."_

_"If he loses control," threatened Sasuke. "You'll have two Uchihas and a very pissed off woman who will not hesitate to kill you should Naruto be lost. I recommend that you don't...."_


	26. Chapter 26

"Sakura....." Kabuto teased as he stepped towards her. "There's no one here for you now. What will you do?"

Sakura got up out of the snow and dusted herself off.

"You know, this is exactly what I wanted..... so get ready," said Sakura with a smirk.

Sakura dashed forward so quickly that it threw Kabuto off guard. Landing a solid punch to his head, he flew back and skidded across the ground.

"I'm going to enjoy this ass-kicking...." said Sakura as she watched him get up.

Sticking her hand into her pocket, Sakura could feel that she only had two shuriken and six explosive notes.

A slight breeze brushed her neck and Sakura ducked as Orochimaru's blade swept across what would have been her head. As she dropped down and came around, Sakura slipped the explosive note onto his sash so that he wouldn't feel it before running up along the wall to distance herself from the explosion.

Sakura didn't even look back when she heard the explosive note go off, but she knew that it got him.

Stopping her in her path, Kabuto forced Sakura to leap back off the wall and dodge a scalpel as she went. Skidding backwards, she switched directions by kicking right, missing another scalpel that nearly got her. As Sakura came to a halt, she wondered why Kabuto suddenly decided that he wouldn't pursue.

Looking back over to where Orochimaru stood, Sakura saw that Orochimaru's body had a hole in it, and to her horror, she once again had to watch the folds of his body peel back to reveal a new one.

"Eeeeeeew...." whispered Sakura.

_Wait... why is Kabuto protecting Orochimaru? He didn't need to before...._ thought Sakura.

As Sakura looked on, she noticed that something was different about this time. The time it was taking for Orochimaru to pull himself out was much longer than she recalled. Not to mention, his face looked strained and sweaty as he did so.

_I see.... _thought Sakura._ It takes a lot for him to rejuvenate. He must be precisely like a snake, and can only shed his skin so much before it's impossible.  
_

Sakura knew that she had only five explosive notes left, all of which would be needed to weaken Orochimaru even further. The question was, how many times would she need to do it?

Sakura began to count the seconds in which it took for Orochimaru to get out of his skin.

_Ichi...Ni... San... Shi.... Go.... Roku........ Shichi. Seven full seconds..._

As Sakura stared at Kabuto, she could see that his stance had eased up and leaned back towards her. He had been prepping to take off to defend Orochimaru if need be, but now he knew that they were in the clear.

Sakura took a deep breath.

_Here I go....._

Sakura took off at a run, but in the opposite direction of her opponents. Kabuto started but then paused. He had never seen someone just bluntly turn their backs to him in a fight.

"Be careful, Kabuto," warned Orochimaru. "Don't forget she almost had you back there."

Kabuto took after Sakura just as Orochimaru seemed to disappear.

Sakura could feel that they had finally decided to pursue and pounded her fist into the dirt. Flipping over the tremor she made, she landed in the deep hole she created.

"Kage-buushin-no-juitsu..." whispered Sakura before concealing herself into the earth. She knew that the shadow clone technique wouldn't fool either of the two, so distributing her chakura into shadow clones was the only way to succeed. Sakura was just thankful that she hung out with Naruto long enough to pick it up.

Kabuto appeared at the edge of the hole to find it empty. Appearing beside him was Orochimaru. Looking up into those snake eyes, Kabuto tried not to show his fear and hesitation.

"Hmph," said Kabuto. "Cheap trick....."

As Kabuto rounded the hole he was expecting to have a hand pop out at him at some point, but as his circumference became bigger, nothing happened. However, it was in the moment when Kabuto reached the opposite side of Orochimaru that he relaxed and Sakura struck.

A hand that glowed blue shot out from the earth directly beneath Orochimaru. Feeling that this was going to happen, Orochimaru's person disappeared into a cloud of smoke as he too was a clone. However, thinking that this was Sakura's only move, his real self appeared a few feet behind.

Just as a smirk had slid across his face, another hand scooped up from the ground and grabbed his ankle. Looking down, he could see that a piece of paper was in its hand.

_BOOM!!!_

A second explosion went off and Orochimaru found that he was blasted yet again. As his body flew back, he winced as the sun above was blocked out for a brief second before seeing Sakura's foot come down with a menacing stomp to his face. She had given an explosive note to each shadow clone that lay hidden, then self-destruct as soon as she knew she had the real Orochimaru.

The dirt and snow flew everywhere, and now Orochimaru's body lay sunken in the snow. Taking out one shuriken, Sakura used its shallow blade to slash at Orochimaru's throat until she felt it hit the dirt, knicking her own hands as she tried to steady its course. When she was sure that he was dead, she leaped out of the hole to land huffing in exhaustion.

"So.... Kabuto...." began Sakura, dripping streams of blood from both hands. "There's no one here for you now, what will you do?"

A shadow passed over Sakura, and she whipped around in terror as she saw thousands of white snakes linked together with the face of Orochimaru. He had abandoned his last shell in an effort to escape her terrible cuts. Stunned at the transformation, Sakura froze.

"Aaah!" screamed Sakura as the tail of the snake wrapped around her so quickly and so forcefully that it squeezed out the one breath she had.

"Kabuto!!!" shouted Orochimaru. "I am at the end! I will have to take over her body instead of Sasuke's. I cannot last any longer!"

Kabuto, stunned at the sudden proposal, stepped back as he watched Sakura struggle helplessly in the snake's grasp.

"Are you sure you cannot hold out longer? There must be a better choice!" shouted Kabuto.

"What's better to tempt my enemies than with the image of the one person they love? She is almost as strong as Tsunade, and holds power over Itachi and Sasuke. I could use her to no end."

"Hai! Orochimaru-sama!"

Sakura's vision began to go hazy. It seemed as if she were going under some kind of genjuitsu. As she swayed lazily in the snake's grasp, she dug her nails into its flesh out of desperation before beginning to see nothing but white, and soon the menacing face of Orochimaru appeared before her.

_BOOM!!!_

A stunning light suddenly invaded Sakura's mind, and soon she found herself in the air, still in the snake's grasp, but its body before her had just been sliced in half by something that left nothing but a gaping hole and a burnt trail across the ground. Sakura then felt the tail holding her go limp, and the world seemed to swirl as she went crashing towards the floor. Shutting her eyes, all she could do was take it.

Just as the snake was about to whip Sakura to the ground, two strong arms linked under hers and ripped her out of the the snake's hold as a sword sliced open its side to get her free. Opening her eyes, she watched as her legs were swung up to be cradled by a familiar someone and looked back to see Sasuke following behind with his sword emblazoned red.

"Are you alright?" asked Itachi as he hugged her close. There was no way he was going to get separated from her again.

"Yes, but....."

_BOOM!!!!_

A huge beam of red light exploded behind them and shot whatever was left of Orochimaru's true being into the air.

"What the...." said Sakura as her view was blocked from seeing what it was that hit it.

_BOOM!!! _came another invasive light as it shot the rest of the snake while it was still in the air. Sakura's eyes widened as the rest of its white flesh disintegrated before her very eyes. She had just seen the end of one of the legendary Sannin.

"It's turning on Kabuto!" shouted Sasuke as he brought up the rear.

"What is!?!" shouted Sakura as she tried to get a look but not wanting to unsteady Itachi's pace. She had just escaped from becoming Orochimaru's next container, but what saved her, she had no idea.

A shower of rocks rained down upon them as another explosion rocked them from behind, and as Itachi began to turn, Sakura saw the tiny image of Kabuto running away in the distance.

Kabuto dove into the hole that Sakura had made right before the same beam of light swept over its top in a blur. It seemed that Kabuto had borrowed her trick because he didn't proceed to get out of there right after the beam had dissipated.

Suddenly thick rods of glowing red flesh shot out from the earth, impaling Kabuto's body high into the air. Sakura saw him struggle helplessly to break free, but soon saw his movements slow and relax before the rods ripped his body into several pieces, scattering blood and body parts across the snowy white floor. As her horrified eyes stared at the blood dripping down the rods, the red flesh that seemed to move with a mind of its own suddenly struck a familiar chord in Sakura's memory.

_Oh no....._ thought Sakura as Itachi's back soon revealed what had pursued him.

_Naruto......_


	27. Chapter 27

A giant pop sounded through the forest as the Demon Gates of Rashomon vanished in the biggest puffs of smoke that Sakura had ever seen. Now that Orochimaru was dead, there was no need for them to remain.

Taking advantage of the unexpected cover, Itachi and Sasuke ran into the smoke just as the Kyuubi was turning around to face them. As their feet ran swift and furious they were careful to remain as quiet as possible, and after a few seconds of running, Sakura began to make out the treeline ahead of them.

The thumps of their feet landing on solid branches scared even Sasuke as he turned around to see back through the fog. Beside him, Itachi was putting Sakura down as silently as possible.

"What happened?" whispered Sakura to the two, but Itachi and Sasuke ignored her question as they were prepping for an attack. The fact that they didn't want to tell her of their brilliant plan was also a reason.

Sakura knew a guilty look when she saw one. Getting pissed off, she grabbed Itachi's sleeve and forced him to look at her. As Itachi stared into the scariest eyes he had ever seen, he had only one thing to say.

"Sasuke...."

"She's yours now. You deal with it."

The few sentences she heard made her pissed off even more. They weren't owning up to something, and by god, they were going to tell her even if she had to beat it out of them. Making an even worse expression, Sakura forced Itachi with her look alone to spill.

"It was Naruto's idea...." was all that Itachi could say.

"That's your brilliant answer?" said Sasuke with a look of "stupid."

Sighing, Sasuke took it upon himself to handle the situation.

"Look, Sakura. The only way we could get in to save you from becoming Orochimaru was to blast a hole in the gate. Naruto was the only option...."

"Oh? And you just _let _him???"

"We had no say in the matter. Naruto didn't give us a choice...."

"What the fuck do we do now, huh!?!" Sakura whisper-shouted. "Naruto will DIE if he stays like that!!!"

"Shhh...." Itachi hushed as the smoke began to dissipate. Reaching an arm around Sakura's waist, he pulled her in to try and calm her the best way he knew how: sheer physical expression.

Sakura was furious, but as the smoke began to lift, they slowly were able to make out a red blur in the distance.

Naruto's body had indeed become the image of the Kyuubi. The four tails that waved behind him were a testiment to his resolve, but as the demon-white eyes and blank expression turned to its surroundings, Sakura felt at a loss when her heart couldn't feel his.

"Naruto...." she whimpered.

Itachi, sensing that she had calmed, let go of his hold on Sakura when he heard her.

"Don't worry, we'll get him back," said Itachi as he kept his eyes on the Kyuubi. "He wanted to do this.... for you."

Sakura tried to shake the fear and anguish from her heart at having caused Naruto to jeopardize himself. In her hour of greatest need, he was still there to watch her back. He had never failed to do so for any of them.

"He doesn't have much time," said Sakura. "We need to do something fast."

"What's it doing?" whispered Sasuke.

Sakura and Itachi looked out to the beast suddenly putting up its head.

"It's...... sniffing..." said Sakura.

The head of the Kyuubi slowly began to turn towards them.

"Oh no...." said Sakura, looking down at the blood dripping through her gloves. "It can smell me!"

A heart-wrenching roar suddenly pierced the air and shook the snow from the branches.

"Shit, it's found me!"

No sooner had she said it did the beast turn its body towards them and take off at a run.

Sakura gasped in terror, stunned at what the hell to do next.

"Take this!" yelled Itachi as he tossed the envelope holding the seal over to Sasuke.

Suddenly a hand grabbed Sakura's and wiped her blood across his chest. Before Sakura could say anything, Itachi dashed out of the cover of the trees and sprinted out into the open.

The appearance of Itachi's figure was too tempting for the Kyuubi to ignore, especially since it was he who got the Kyuubi to shoot off a few rounds. What was more, the smell of him was something that drew him in with familiarity. Naruto's feelings for Sakura were the next most powerful thing after his anger towards Orochimaru, and the smell of her blood on Itachi drew him in with a passion.

"Come on, Sakura," said Sasuke, grabbing her arm.

"What!?! We can't just run away!"

"Who said anything about running away?"

Sakura was left with her mouth open as Sasuke suddenly took off after his brother. Snapping out of it, Sakura followed suit.

The white snow fluffed beneath her feet as Sakura landed on the ground. Pushing forward, she edged herself to pick up speed as quickly as possible, rushing with all her might to follow Sasuke's back.

_I'm not abandoning you, Naruto.... Don't you leave me!!! _Sakura thought as her eyes filled with desperate tears.

Catching up to Sasuke, Sakura got close enough for him to hear her.

"It doesn't know we're behind it," said Sasuke, pressing her so that they fell directly in back. "It'll have to take one shot."

"Mmm!" nodded Sakura. "Don't touch him. His body is completely covered with the Kyuubi's chakura. It'll sear your skin."

Drawing his sword, Sasuke prepared to make the cut of his life.

"Now!" shouted Sasuke.

Sakura sent a solid punch into the earth causing a rift to shoot straight at the Kyuubi's back. When the rift caught up with it, the Kyuubi lost its footing as it stumbled upon the loss of ground. Just as its face hit the dirt, Sasuke bounded into the air to bring his sword down into the Kyuubi's shoulder.

"CHIDORI!!!" shouted Sasuke as he filled his blade with a huge magnitude of electricity.

Pulling out the seal, Sasuke threw it down on the Kyuubi's head, but in an instant saw the delicate piece of paper incinerate upon the red chakura. With their only plan to bring back Naruto having failed and his dangerous proximity to the Kyuubi, Sasuke could then do only one thing.

The Kyuubi roared in pain as Sasuke intensified the current in an effort to knock it out, but as the tails of the Kyuubi whipped erratically, one was about to nail Sasuke as he kept the flow of energy going.

_Thump!_

A kunai was shot at the tail with such force that it sent it backwards just before it touched Sasuke. Itachi was already closing in on them, and the sight of him was most comforting.

The ear-splitting cry of the Kyuubi was deafening as it couldn't see who it was that was attacking it, but as the flow of electricity was maintained in strength, its struggling slowly began to subside. However, just when they thought they might have things under control, a sudden burst of red chakura erupted in a huge explosion that shot Sasuke, Itachi, and Sakura backwards to skid across the snow. The force of the explosion also shot Sasuke's sword out of its shoulder in a unique defense, and melted the surrounding snow in a sobering heat.

Shaking her head, Sakura got up to see what was going on. When she got her head out of the snow, her blurry vision began to make out the Kyuubi slowly begining to twitch.

Suddenly Sakura felt a hand grab her wrist and rip her off the ground. Before she could even see who it was, she had been pulled in the direction of the Kyuubi at a fast run.

"Itachi!" yelled Sasuke as he dragged Sakura along. "If he begins to lose control, get her out of here!!!"

With that, Itachi watched as Sasuke charged directly at the Kyuubi with Sakura in tow. As Sasuke rounded to the Kyuubi's front, he pulled her to her knees so that they were three feet from its head.

"Don't move and look at me," said Sasuke, grabbing her shoulders. "Whatever you do, keep looking at me."

Sakura was still stunned by the explosion. She could hear the wind blowing past her ear and the sound of the Kyuubi beginning to move, but it was as if hearing it through a long funnel. As she stared into Sasuke's concentrated Sharingan, her heart pumped so loud that it sounded in her ears like a drum and was nearly scared senseless as her vision began to blur from the adrenaline. Sakura wasn't allowed to see the beast behind her, but she trusted Sasuke and kept her focus on him.

"Almost...." said Sasuke, reassuring her.

Keeping Sakura directly in front of the Kyuubi, Sasuke kept one eye on her as the other waited for the Kyuubi to rise. As his heart pounded in nervousness, he could feel that his brother felt the same way too. Still, being this close was the only way it was going to work.

"Get ready, Sakura..." whispered Sasuke. "We're going to bring him back..."

The Kyuubi's claws dug into the earth. Moving its head, it slowly began to push itself off the ground, but as soon as it looked up, it found that something was there staring back at it.

A low growl purred from behind Sakura. Holding her breath, she instinctively arched her back away from it as if trying to distance herself as much as possible. Still, she kept her eyes on Sasuke's the entire time. When she thought she could feel that the Kyuubi was about to strike, it suddenly paused. It was then that Sakura felt as if her body was being pulled into Sasuke's mind.

Sakura watched as the images before her began to blur, refocus, then blur again. A bead of sweat dripped down Sasuke's face as he battled with the Kyuubi's overwhelming power, and soon Sakura could make it out as she came closer and closer back to reality. He was losing it.

Suddenly a gentle hand caressed Sakura's shoulder, and she couldn't help but turn slightly towards it. Appearing before her was the face that she longed so dearly to be with, and as Itachi kneeled beside Sasuke, she could feel his mind lock onto hers before connecting with Sasuke's.

Being attached to the Sharingan felt different than being in a genjuitsu. Sakura could feel what they felt and slowly her consciousness melted into theirs. She could distinguish between the two Sharingans as being very varied in level. Sakura could tell that Itachi's was much more advanced, yet Sasuke's was far stronger. Slowly becoming steady, it felt as if a warm rush of water passed over her as a her mind became a viaduct for their thoughts.

Itachi and Sasuke could see Sakura's body begin to relax as the Kyuubi's form breathed heavily behind her. They couldn't lose control of it now as she was directly in the way. With Itachi having joined the effort to reign in the beast, there was no one waiting at the sidelines to pull her out of the way quick enough. So, as the three of them waited for their thoughts to intertwine completely, they could feel eachother's worries over the other, and the intensity of their hope to bring Naruto back. Sakura began to tear as she felt this, knowing that this was their only hope at this point.

The intensity of emotion seemed too much. Clutching her hands into fists, Sakura felt like she was going to throw up. Breathing slow so that she calmed her heart rate, it seemed as if she was going to pass out. Then, things went completely black.

* * *


	28. Chapter 28

"Sakura.... Sakura!" came a faint voice from behind.

"Sasuke?" whispered Sakura as she tried to focus.

Turning around, Sakura found that she was standing in a small dark room that had no windows, with pipes that dripped from the ceiling above. The air was damp with a cold draft that chilled her to her bones, and there was only one lamp that gave them light, but it fluttered as if it was going to go out.

"Where are we?" asked Sakura, not knowing the place she was in.

"We're in Naruto's mind," said Sasuke, looking around. "I've been here twice and the place never changes. It's like we're in the sub-basement of Naruto's consciousness where the Kyuubi is sealed. I'm not sure what we're going to find this time though."

"Let's start moving. We can't hold it for very long," said Itachi as he took up Sakura's hand. "Stay close to me..."

Sakura was afraid but somehow she just knew that as long as she was with Itachi, there was nothing to really fear. As her footsteps echoed off the wet concrete below them, she squeezed his hand in thankfulness so that he knew she trusted him completely. Understanding its reason, Itachi squeezed back.

The room they were in showed nothing of the fury that was going on outside. However, as the group stepped out into the long dark corridor that Sasuke had walked through before, it was then that they could see the extent of the Kyuubi's reach.

The narrow corridor that was once narrow and dimly lit had quadrupled in size and seemed to be alive with the Kyuubi's red heat. The floors and walls had thick veins of its chakura throbbing vibrantly, and the evilness of it all seemed to emanate off of it. As the veins glowed in a red splendor, it stung the eyes of its beholders when they looked upon it in wonder. Everything about it seemed beautiful and yet disturbing. Something just told you not to touch it.

"I hope that thing doesn't move," said Sakura as she clutched Itachi's hand even harder. Turning around, she could see that the veins did not extend into the corridor behind them. "We've only got one way to go, and I don't know how long it goes. What's stopping it?"

Looking over to one side, Sakura and the others could see that there was an open door that light flooded through. The beam that it cast seemed to be the cut off point where the Kyuubi's chakura stopped. Stepping cautiously towards it, Sasuke stopped when he came within three feet of the light.

"It's Naruto...." said Sasuke looking surprised. "It's him...."

Sakura let go of Itachi's hand and rushed forward to see what he meant. Stopping where he had stopped, she smiled in relief at what she felt.

"It is him," said Sakura excitedly. "It's like it's his positive energy, his happiness....."

"Look," said Itachi, pointing to the wall opposite of the door. "It's beginning to recede."

As the others looked on, they could see as well that the width of the beam was slowly but surely beginning to decrease inward. What was more was the veins of chakura could sense its weakening, and plumped and grew to match it in speed.

"Did you feel that?" said Sakura, turning back around to face the doorway. "The feeling of happiness.... it diminished.... We have to go in there. I know he's in there."

Sasuke knew it too. Looking at Itachi, he didn't have to say what he was thinking.

"I'll stay here and hold the Kyuubi off. I don't know what you'll find in there, but my guess is that it'll distract your concentration. You've got ten minutes to get them out. I expect you'll do it in five," said Itachi as he sat down upon the ground. Crossing his legs, he put his hands together to concentrate his chakura.

Itachi looked over to Sakura who was already standing in the entrance way. Shutting his eyes, he wiped out all thoughts of her that would distract him.

Sasuke stood there staring at his brother. He didn't know how it happened, but somehow along the way he began to tolerate his presence. Turning back towards Sakura, he saw her holding her hand out to his.

"Let's go," she said determinedly.

Sasuke did not waste time in taking Sakura's hand, and together they walked through the door without any hesitation. Expecting that they would be welcomed by the same warm and happy feeling, they were instead washed over with the coldest feeling of sorrow.

* * *

"What the...." said Sakura. "We're back in Konoha...."

There was no doubt about it. The dirt roads were as they had always been, and the same familiar shops stood out before them. Although things seemed to be the same as in Konoha, the roads were empty of life and the shop curtains fluttered in the wind with a most ghostly feeling.

"Shoko's mini-mart," said Sakura in confusion. "That store closed years ago. I used to buy candy there after school."

Sasuke began to turn in a circle to scan the vicinity. As the wind picked up his bangs it felt unnatural, and the sadness that filled the air seemed to be increasing. Still, there seemed to be no one in sight. Floating in the middle of the road behind them was the doorway, appearing like a black sheet that was hung out to dry. It was much smaller than when they had entered, and it seemed to be shrinking inward at an alarming rate. Stepping away from it, they tried to gain a better sense of their surroundings.

"Well, looks like we're going to have to get it back open somehow," said Sasuke as he estimated what size it'd be in a mere three minutes. "Something's making Naruto weaken, because the speed of it just picked up."

"Wait!" said Sakura, grabbing his sleeve. "Do you hear that?"

Sasuke stopped moving and perked his ears. Suddenly he too heard what seemed to be the sound of childrens' laughter.

"It's coming from the school. Let's be careful just in case," said Sasuke.

"Mmm," nodded Sakura.

Sasuke and Sakura proceeded quietly towards the school. They knew the layout of the area, and they could tell that the sounds were coming from the rear courtyard. As they opened the gate to proceed around the building, a familiar group seemed to be hovering near their old classroom.

"It's graduation...." said Sakura, recognizing at once her mother's long hair that stood out amongst the others. "That's my mother.... and there's me!"

Sasuke was stunned. He knew he wasn't going to find himself in that bunch as he had snuck home before the crowd came, but the sight of all of them as kids again was surreal.

"Look...." said Sasuke, pointing over to the tree nearby. "It's Naruto...."

Sakura looked over and saw that it indeed was Naruto. There he was, eleven years old and in that yellow outfit that she found so unstylish. He wore the same goggles on his head and had that same tuft of golden hair, but his melancholy look just broke her heart as she watched him swaying upon the swing. It was then that she heard the whispers.

"There's that boy...." said one of the mothers. "That good-for-nothing didn't graduate again. What an idiot."

"Hey!" yelled Sakura to them. "Watch your mouth! I ought to beat the shit out of you!"

Sakura started to stomp over there but was suddenly pulled back by Sasuke's hand on her shoulder.

"Don't.... They can't hear you. See?"

Sakura's look of anger diminished when she saw what he meant. None of the parents looked up when she yelled, and they continued to float harsh words in Naruto's direction. Staring at her own mother, Sakura was ashamed when she heard her concur.

"Mom..." Sakura frowned. "I don't believe it..."

"Don't worry, it always happens...."

"Hmm?"

Sakura turned around to see that Naruto was looking up at them. He had clearly been crying.

"Hey...." said Sakura sweetly and kneeling down before him. "You okay?"

"Of course I am," said Naruto toughly. "I'm going to be the next Hokage. Nothing bothers me."

"Well.... I'm not okay...."

"Hmmm? Why? You look fine to me."

Sasuke stared on quietly. If there was anything that Sakura could do, it'd be to figure a way out of this one. Her brains often filled their shortcomings, and no one could sweet talk a kid like Naruto better than a pretty girl.

"Well.... " said Sakura, looking down at the ground. "I have some extra money and I don't want to eat alone."

"What about that guy?" said Naruto, pointing over to Sasuke. "Though, I don't think he's a very nice person to eat with...."

Sasuke's brow lifted. Even at his age, the younger Naruto could still tweak his irritation chord.

Sakura giggled.

"You're right. He's not very fun to eat with because he doesn't talk much, but I bet you do," she smiled. "So how about it? Want to go on a date?"

Naruto's eyes got big. He had never expected someone older nor that pretty to ask him out.

"I was thinking, maybe, Ichiraku Ramen?" said Sakura, standing up with her hands on her hips.

"Hah!" gasped Naruto in excitement. "You bet!"

"Okay, but only if you hold my hand!"

Naruto's face flushed with a crimson tide. He felt like a blood vessel in his nose was going to pop. Nodding was the only way he could answer without drooling, so he did so quickly and jumped off the swing at lightning speed.

"Cool!" said Sakura, holding out her hand. "Let's go!"

Naruto reached out and took her hand. It felt soft and yet calloused from hard work, but warm and gentle to the touch. Swinging her hand in happiness, he looked at Sasuke and stuck out his tongue teasingly.

"Little runt..." whispered Sasuke under his breath.

As the three of them made their way out of the school grounds, Sasuke stopped as he closed the gate behind them to look back up the road from where they started. Something was pressing on his soul with urgency. Something they hadn't run into yet.

* * *

It had only been half a minute, but already Itachi was sweating. He didn't know if time and space were the same where the others went, but he only knew that he had to hold out until they came back. Opening his eyes, he could see that the room had brightened with red light. In only such a short time did the veins of red chakura seem to have grown at such a menacing rate, and as Itachi looked across the light from the doorway, he noticed something was different.

At the very edge of the doorway on the side where the veins grew, one of the veins had actually penetrated the beam just so, and was reaching through to the other side. It was then that he knew, the Kyuubi was making his chase.

Itachi could feel his hold on the Kyuubi beginning to shake. If he didn't tighten his grip on the Kyuubi's mind, it wouldn't be long before he lost it. Shutting his eyes, Itachi once again tried to reign in the beast in his brother's stead.

_Mangekyou... Sharingan...._

* * *

"Whew!" gasped Naruto as he put down his bowl. "Ichiraku Ramen is the best! But, where's Ji-san and Nee-chan?"

"I called ahead and let them know we were coming," explained Sakura. In truth, she didn't know how the bowls of ramen appeared, but there they were waiting for them when they walked up to the bar.

"What do you want to do now?" asked Sakura. In the last moments that they shared their bowls of ramen, she felt the sorrow weaken, if only just a little bit. Looking at Sasuke, he nodded to her in agreement. This is what they were supposed to do.

"Hmmm.... I want to go the playground!" said Naruto excitedly.

"Great," agreed Sakura. "Let's go!"

Getting up from the stools, Sakura watched Naruto run ahead and skip along the dirt road. As she giggled at seeing him so happy, she was pulled back from the bliss with a single hand on her shoulder.

"Something's not right," said Sasuke. "I feel like we're supposed to wake him, but how?"

"I haven't figured it out yet, but I do think that his happiness has something to do with it," said Sakura. "This room must be where he kept his painful memories buried. Maybe we just need to get him out?"

"This whole situation is unsettling. Something's coming. I can feel it."

"I feel it too, but I think that whatever it is, we're supposed to face it with him."

"Sakura-san!!" Naruto waved up ahead.

"Hai!!" she waved in return. She knew that Naruto was counting on her for her help.

As the three of them made their way towards the playground, something seemed eerie as they rounded the corner. It was only when they came within sight of the park did they found that something had beaten them to it.

"What... what happened?" asked Naruto when he saw it.

Someone or something had devastated the bars of the jungle gym with a smothering heat. All that was left was a puddle of smelted metal.

"We need to go back," said Sakura suddenly. "It's here. It's looking for him."

Sasuke looked down and saw tracks, big ones. The claw prints were not unfamiliar. It was definitely the Kyuubi's.

"Let's go," said Sasuke, running over to Naruto. "Get on my back!"

"What? Why?"

"Just do it!"

The sudden alarm in Sasuke's voice and the sight of Sakura taking a defensive position alerted Naruto to the threat. Scared, he quickly jumped onto Sasuke's back.

"Listen to me, Naruto," said Sasuke in a serious tone. "Whatever happens, we will protect you and we will not leave you, understand?"

Naruto was so scared he just nodded his head.

"Good. Sakura, let's cut across the rooftops."

"Hai!"

Naruto nearly lost his grip as Sasuke suddenly took off at lightning speed. As he felt the thump of him landing on the first roof of the homes, Naruto quickly readjusted his hold and clutched Sasuke with all of his strength.

"What's happening?" asked Naruto, getting even more scared.

"Sasuke!" said Sakura beside them. "The light from the door is his confidence. We have to keep him encouraged or the door will close!"

Sasuke nodded.

"Naruto... Naruto, look at me!" shouted Sakura. "I will not leave you, but you have to be brave! We're going to get you out of here, do you hear me?"

"H-h-hai...." answered Naruto, but the look of fear was evident in his eyes.

_Shit, this is bad...._ thought Sakura. _I can tell him to be brave, but that's still not going to help if he doesn't trust us completely!_

Suddenly a heart-rendering roar sounded from their left. As they hurried back towards the school, they could see in the distance that something had just climbed up on the roofs as well.

"It's spotted us! Sakura, pick up the pace!" yelled Sasuke.

Another loud roar sounded and soon they heard the rooftops crashing under the Kyuubi's stomps behind them. Although it was the same size as the four-tailed Kyuubi, the fearsome sight of the beast chasing after them nearly ripped their guts out.

Naruto's heart was stricken with fear, and his desperate grip alerted Sasuke to his confidence waning even further.

"Don't, Naruto!" yelled Sakura. "Look at me! Don't let it scare you!!"

Naruto peered over to Sakura. He could see in her eyes that she was going to watch over him, no matter what it took. Gulping hard, he nodded to her and kept his eyes on her even though he could feel the Kyuubi's presence coming down on them. Silently agreeing to put his trust in her, he watched Sakura as she ran beside them, guarding them as if they were her own children.

"It's just up ahead!" shouted Sasuke in reassurance. "Take him! I'm going to hold it off!"

Sakura ran up to Sasuke's right side and brought her right hand up behind her head so that Naruto could grab it. As soon as she felt his hand grip hers, she pulled so that he could use his left hand to catch her shoulder. When she felt his legs wrap around her waist, she sprinted at full speed and didn't let up even when she had jumped down to the road below.

"Shit!" yelled Sakura as she could barely make out the doorway up ahead. It had now become the size of a her head. There was no way they were getting through it.

Running above Sakura on the rooftops to her left was Sasuke. Seeing the situation below, he stopped two houses down from it to make his stand.

"Sakura!!!" yelled Sasuke in urgency.

"I'm thinking!!!" she yelled back. "Shit! Alright, Naruto, look at me. I know your true self is in there somewhere. You have to remember!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Naruto in confusion.

"Naruto, it's me! Sakura! Your partner since we were kids! You've got to snap out of it and remember all we've been through!"

"I just met you today, Sakura-san...."

Sakura looked up at Sasuke's back in desperation, his surroundings lit up by the blinding white light of the chidori. He was using an extension of the chidori instead of his sword, having lost it when they were blasted back by the Kyuubi. As he moved it back and forth to ward off the beast, Sakura could see by the look on his face that he didn't have a clue as to what to do next. Unable to ask for his help, Sakura then looked over to see that the doorway was shrinking further.

"Please, Naruto!" Sakura pleaded. "You have to remember!"

Suddenly Sasuke jumped down in front of them with a start. Turning his back to them, he held his hand forth, ready to reproduce the chidori at a moment's notice.

"It went down between the houses," said Sasuke. "Whatever it is you're doing, you'd better hurry up!"

"Naruto... don't you remember anything?" Sakura begged, looking desperately into his blue eyes.

"It's coming!" shouted Sasuke, setting off his chidori the moment he spotted it.

Naruto and Sakura could see through the blinding light that the Kyuubi was charging towards them from far down the road. Although the chidori was maneuvered with perfect precision, it wasn't quick enough to anticipate its movement as Sasuke's Sharingan was already preoccupied in the outside world. As the failed attempts kept mounting, Sasuke yelled in frustration as the Kyuubi kept getting closer and closer.

Seeing the fruitlessness of Sasuke's efforts, Sakura hugged Naruto to her chest in an effort to shield him from their fate. All she could do now in the face of being unable to convince him was shake in fear, and cry at the realization that she was going to lose everyone that she loved most. In the end, all that would be left was nothing but their scorched bodies and a Jinchuuriki on the loose. This was it. They were going to die.

"Naruto...." Sakura whispered as she cried. "Gomenasai.... I wasn't able to bring you back. Please forgive me in heaven...."

As Naruto stood there with this strangely familiar woman wrapping her arms around him, he could feel his heart aching for hers. Something about the smell of her hair and the warmth of her presence seemed to envelope him with a love that he had known all along. The sound of her voice, the look of Sasuke's back standing over him as he protected them, all of it was ringing bells that spoke of memories past. Everything was so familiar and yet so distant, but it was then that Naruto felt a bubble of memories burst inside of him.

Images appeared in Naruto's mind of a masked shinobi taunting him with bells, the feeling of guilt as a man with a scar on his nose protected him, an old man with a pipe cloaked in white, and a blond woman whose breasts could have knocked out the sun. Then came the spikey hair of a broad-shouldered man wearing an old forehead protector, a large scroll strapped firmly to his back. All of these images flooded in like a quick-rising tide, but none of them seemed to affect him as much as the next images did.

Holding up a bento up to him was a girl with long pink hair. Her apologies to him made him melt with compassion, and he flushed with fever whenever she came near. Then there was a young boy who drew out memories of envy, hate, and yet solemn admiration. His skills seemed limitless, and he swore that he would surpass him one day. Though his feelings for the two were quite different, he felt the same trust and companionship with both. There he stood, promising to the pink-haired girl that he'd bring their brother back no matter what it took, and swearing that he would not give up until he did. As these images swirled in his head like a whirlpool, Naruto suddenly found himself amongst the memories once again.

Hugging her back, Naruto placed his head upon Sakura's shoulder.

"Sa-Sakura-chan...." whispered Naruto.

"What?" said Sakura, stunned at the sudden use of "chan" with her name.

Pulling back, Sakura found that she was staring at the older Naruto in front of her.

"Naruto!" Sakura whispered in disbelief, throwing herself back onto him. "I thought I lost you...."

Naruto pushed her back and stood up. There was no time to waste. Walking up to Sasuke's right, he gauged the situation at hand.

"Did you manage to hit it?" asked Naruto.

"No, I've only been able to hold it off," answered Sasuke.

"It's coming for me. I want you to let it come."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely. Just stop the chidori, then get the hell out of the way."

With that, Sasuke released the chidori and leapt back a few feet to stand beside Sakura. When the Kyuubi saw that the threat was gone, it charged directly down the street, straight at them.

"Kage buushin-no-juitsu..." said Naruto as a shadow clone appeared.

Sticking out one hand, Naruto began to conjure a Rasengan. As the Kyuubi neared, Naruto could finally see what he looked like in such a state. With utter disbelief, he took a stance to prepare for his counter-attack.

"Rasengan!!!" Naruto shouted as he shoved the ball of blue chakura into the Kyuubi's face.

As the chakura swirled away the image of the Kyuubi, Naruto became alarmed when he saw that it was only melting it into a puddle instead of being blasted back.

"Nani!?!" yelled Naruto as his Rasengan disintegrated. Jumping back to be with the others, he stared in wonder as the puddle began to boil.

"Did it work?" asked Sakura, but knowing in her heart that it didn't.

As the red chakura began to bubble before them, they could see that it was beginning to rise back up to become the Kyuubi again. It was then that they realized there was no eliminating it as it was pure chakura, and the Kyuubi's chakura to be exact.

"Any ideas?" said Sasuke in defeat.

Sakura turned around to see that the portal hadn't changed much in size. It had gotten bigger, but just enough so that a kid could get through. As she stared at it in thought, she noticed that it had begun shrinking inward again.

"What the!?! Naruto! You have to build your confidence back up so that we can get out of here!!!" shouted Sakura, causing them all to turn around to see what was happening.

"What?" asked Naruto. He remembered everything, but still didn't know about the portal.

Suddenly Sakura grabbed him by the collar in anger.

"Naruto!" she yelled, pointing at the hole. "That entrance is based on your confidence! You need to pick it up!"

Finally catching on, Naruto shook his head.

"I... I can't... " said Naruto.

"What!?! Why not!?!" Sakura was pissed.

"It's that thing...."

"What?"

"It's freaking me out!!! Look at it! It's coming back to life like out of some horror movie!"

Naruto could see that Sasuke was ready to beat him to a pulp, and it wasn't helping his confidence in any way, shape, or form.

"That's not helping, Sasuke," said Naruto with his eyes narrowed.

"Naruto...." warned Sakura. "So help me, I will beat the shit out of you if you don't quit playing around!!!"

Letting her grip on him go, Sakura put one hand on her forehead and the other on her hip. She could feel a headache coming on. Nothing could have kept her from coming down hard on Naruto like a sledge hammer in that moment, except the fact that they'd never get out of there if she did. So, biting her tongue, Sakura restrained herself from indulging her urge to kill.

Looking at the hole and then turning back to the puddle, Sakura was at a loss at what to do next. However, as she stared back at Naruto who had his hand on his head and was trying to laugh off his idiocy, that's when it hit her. It was drastic, but drastic times often called for drastic measures. Taking a deep breath, she knew what it was that she had to do. She just hoped that Itachi would be okay with it, or even better, wouldn't find out.

"Naruto...." called Sakura sweetly.

"Huh?" Naruto froze mid-laugh and looked at the cat-eyes Sakura was making. "Wha...What are you doing?"

Eyes wide with surprise, Naruto pulled his head back as Sakura suddenly stepped towards him in a most shameful attempt. As she brought her tiny hands up to grasp his collar once again, she made sure to pull him towards her in a slow and steady revelation. Stepping into him, she put her body against his so that his chest could feel hers rise and fall with every breath she took. Sakura shut her eyes and tilted her head sideways to gently brush her nose upon his chin as she came in for the kill. Pausing when she thought she was almost to his height, Sakura leaned in closer to let her soft lips touch the very tips of his. Taking tiny breaths so that Naruto could smell her intoxicating scent, she waited until his breathing calmed and his eyes closed before she laid her sweet lips upon his for a gentle kiss.

Naruto breathed in a deep breath as he felt the blood rush to his face when he felt Sakura's lips. As he stood there in a daze, he paused to feel the beating of his heart steady before coming in for more. Easing up his tense shoulders, he put his arms around Sakura's waist before hugging her to him with a heated passion. Feeling her lips part, Naruto dared to stick his tongue into her mouth to get a taste of a woman's gentleness. The sensation of her response drove him wild. The texture of her tongue massaged his with a deep pleasure he had never felt before. As their lips followed eachother's heated movements, Naruto felt Sakura's grip on his collar release and move down to rub up his back. Unable to control herself, Sakura's leg instinctively lifted off the ground and rubbed up the side of his leg. Once it wrapped around to the back, she locked onto him and felt his hand trace her cheek before stroking her thigh. When their pulsing felt like it was going to go further, Sakura willed herself to break their kiss and pull back with all her mental strength.

Standing there staring eachother in the eyes, Naruto and Sakura breathed heavily as their hands refused to let go of one another. It was Naruto's first real kiss, and it happened to be with the person he wanted most. Finally getting their wits back, they released eachother but kept eye contact as they stepped apart.

"Let's go...." whispered Sakura, her blinking eyes betraying to Naruto that she still was locked in that kiss.

Turning to look at the door, Sakura saw that it had grown to be much bigger than when they first entered. As she jumped through it first, she left Naruto to deal with Sasuke's reaction.

Taking a big gulp, Naruto was completely ignoring the Kyuubi beginning to form next to him. When he finally remembered that his lip-lock was subject to an audience, he looked up to see Sasuke's stunned face.

Naruto froze.

"Priceless," said Naruto with a grin.

With that being said, Naruto wasted no time in following after Sakura.


	29. Chapter 29

A womanly figure suddenly burst forth from the door of light, immediately landing on her feet before backing up to make way for the others. As Sakura waited for the image of Naruto coming through the gateway, she kept her eyes on the door until Sasuke came through as well.

"Everyone here?" asked Sakura, turning to see Itachi's eyes open upon them. "Good. Now let's get the hell out of here!"

Standing up, Itachi looked calm as he verified that this was indeed Naruto standing before him.

"Are you able to tame it?" asked Itachi to Naruto. "The seal didn't work. You're going to have to do it on your own."

"Hahahahaha.....Don't worry," said Naruto, scratching his head nervously. "Now that I'm awake, I can take care of it. You guys get out of here."

The nervous smile and shoo-ing away of them made Itachi wonder. It was almost as if Naruto was embarrassed about something.

"Everything alright?" asked Itachi.

"Fine, fine...." Naruto waved. "You go on ahead. I'll catch up."

What alarmed Itachi to the awkward situation even further was the look Sasuke was giving Naruto. If he wasn't mistaken, he could have swore it was an expression of disbelief and resistance. The whole vibe coming from the three of them was tense, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what went on behind the door.

"Time to get out!" shouted Sakura with urgency.

The light from the door was beginning to recede quickly. Running over to Itachi, Sakura latched onto his arm and waited to see what was going to happen next. As she felt his arm wrap around her, she could tell that he was exhausted.

"Are you alright?" asked Sakura.

"I'm fine...." said Itachi, looking over to Sasuke. "Release on three, grab one arm each, and pull back."

Sasuke nodded.

"One....." said Itachi, tightening his hold on Sakura. "Two..... Three!"

Sakura shut her eyes as once again she was pulled into what felt like a washing machine at high speed. As Naruto watched them disappear, his eyes focused on Sakura as she slowly began to disappear before his eyes. That was the first time he ever get to touch her the way he did just a moment ago, and it pulled at his heart knowing that it would never happen again. Sighing in disappointment, Naruto tried to erase the hope that still existed in his heart for want of her.

Turning around to face the red chakura that flooded the halls of his mind with anger and rage, Naruto shut his eyes and began his fight to come back. No matter what, he would defeat the Kyuubi and reclaim his body as his own. That was the promise he made to himself a long time ago.

"Alright, Kyuubi.... time to get back in the cage."

* * *

Sakura suddenly felt the cold winter air brush against her cheeks again. She had just barely opened her eyes when she felt two strong arms grab her own before getting yanked forward in a whip-lashing fashion.

"Hup!" squeaked Sakura as the breath was forcibly choked from her throat.

When she landed on the soft snow and felt Itachi and Sasuke release her, Sakura looked back just in time to see the Kyuubi slash the ground where she had been kneeling. The scratch-marks that dug six inches into the dirt sent shivers up Sakura's spine, but not as much as the empty look the Kyuubi gave her when it discovered that it had missed. Thinking that Naruto would finally be holding it off, the three of them started to slowly retreat as the Kyuubi began to slowly step towards them.

Just when Itachi, Sasuke, and Sakura were getting ready to put up a fight, the Kyuubi stopped in its tracks, and the blank expression upon its face seemed to reflect emotion. The Kyuubi set off an earth-shaking roar, and the sound of it shook their hearts as the three of them stood there watching it curl its back upward in pain. Naruto was definitely putting up a fight. There was no doubt about that.

As the snow melted beneath the Kyuubi's chakura, its claws clutched the dirt in agony as the ears of the Kyuubi began shrink. Behind it, the group could see the fourth tail beginning to disappear, and before they knew it, the red chakura that enveloped Naruto's body began to give way to his features.

"Come on, Naruto," whispered Sakura.

When Sasuke could finally make out Naruto's face beneath the surface, he cringed when he realized that the color of Naruto's skin was blood-red. Every inch of Naruto's being was scorched by the chakura's heat. Even the whites of Naruto's eyes were colored red as the blood vessels in his eyes had burst. As they all watched the last of the tails shrivel down into a stub, Sasuke stepped closer to be ready to catch Naruto should he fall.

Slowly when the nails on Naruto's hands receded and the last of the glowing chakura absorbed back into his skin, all that was left was an exhausted Naruto, balancing on his feet with the last of his strength. Just as his body began to fall backward, Sasuke softened his landing by catching him sideways and easing him towards the ground.

The breaths coming from Naruto's lips were faint, and every muscle in his body seemed to have been torn from over-exertion. Sakura ran forward and immediately began to assess his condition, but shook her head in sadness as she could tell that this time he was in the four-tailed state for much too long. If his life had been shortened, she did not know. All she knew is that it would take him much longer this time to recover than it did the others.

"Naruto? Can you hear me," said Sakura as she began to heal his organs first.

As they all waited with bated breaths, they did not get a response. Sadly, there was no telling how long Naruto would be out this time. Even though the group was glad he was alive, they all secretly dreaded the thought of having to carry him back. They were beat up enough, as it was, and having to hoist another's weight on your shoulders would be something very difficult in their condition.

Sasuke looked around to the edges of the forest and took a deep sigh. He knew what they were all thinking, so he might as well be the first to say it.

"We'll need to camp here for tonight," said Sasuke to Itachi. "There's no hideouts anywhere near here for me. You?"

"None..." answered Itachi, staring intently down at Naruto. "Got any techniques?"

"None..."

"To tell you the truth, even a half-mile would be too far to carry him in this condition," said Sakura. "We'll need to build something or remain in the open-air."

Sasuke sighed in irritation. He was cold and hurt, but worst of all, hungry. Nothing made a situation more shitty than being hungry, and the season sure didn't provide any options. The sky above him didn't bode well as he could see that another storm was on the way, and sundown was much earlier these days.

"Don't worry about it for now," said Sakura. "Let's just catch our breath, and let me heal him enough so that we can move him."

As Sasuke scratched the back of his head in agitation, all they could do was wait. Taking it easy was difficult for shinobi in their situation to do, but he knew it was better to do it now rather than strain themselves the entire way. Pulling his arms into his gi, he held it tight to keep whatever warmth he had left.

* * *

"How far are we?"

"It should be just up ahead. The report said they were headed this way," answered Kakashi to Yamato.

"Can we be sure it's them?" Shizune yelled from the rear. "I mean, how do we know that the report is not a trap?"

"It's not...." said Kakashi. "I know it's not...."

Indeed, Kakashi was suspicious as well when a message came to them on their way back from a mission near Konoha's northern border. The sealed scroll that found its way to them gave coordinates just a few miles into Sound Country. What would have seemed like a sure trap was immediately dispelled by the tiny footprint that was stamped at the bottom. Kakashi knew in an instant that the time had come, and it was their only chance to reclaim their own.

Ever since Kakashi had been forced to separate with Naruto, he had pressured Tsunade to assign him to every and any mission that brought him closest to Sound Country. If he was going to be forced to work for Konoha again with this situation still going on, he would only do it on his terms. Tsunade reluctantly agreed, but Kakashi knew that she too still secretly hoped of having their problem resolved. Without even having to ask, Kakashi soon found that Tsunade was continuously reassigning Yamato and Shizune to accompany him on all of his missions. In his heart, he humbly thanked her for doing what no other Hokage would have done.

"We're coming up. Spread out," ordered Kakashi.

"Hai!" Shizune and Yamato cried in unison.

As the trees ahead began to shine with light from an open field, the team slowed their tracks and paused without a sound when they reached the forest's border. When their eyes fell upon the white sheet before them, it took some time to readjust to the blinding light that beckoned them from the shadows. Silencing his breath, Yamato peered out over the scenery to scan the horizon.

Almost at the same time did the team's gaze cast upon a black dot in the distance. From what they could tell, a tall man stood hovering over two other figures on the ground.

"Don't move...." came a voice from behind Yamato's head.

Feeling the tip of a blade graze his neck, Yamato was then pushed out from behind a tree so that the others were alerted to a new presence.

"Sasuke...." said Kakashi in a low voice. "Let him go..."

Sasuke stared at them for a few seconds, and for a brief moment, Kakashi wasn't sure which side Sasuke was on. However, when Sasuke pulled the tip of his sword away from Yamato to sheath it, a deep sigh from all of them could be heard across the plain. After all those years, Sasuke had gotten good enough to sneak up on them all.

Without a word, Sasuke stepped out into the field, a signal for the others to follow. As they did so, the tension in the air was so thick that Shizune had trouble breathing. It was the first time that they saw Sasuke like this again, and it was almost like being in a twisted dream.

"What.... what happened?" asked Kakashi as they came up to Sakura who was still healing Naruto. She was wearing Itachi's cloak, but didn't say a word as she maintained her chakura.

Shizune knew in an instant the danger that Naruto was in. His breathing, his skin color, all of it boded ill for the young man. He needed emergency treatment which she could tell was already being administered by Sakura. Immediately rushing to the opposite side of her, Shizune began to aide in the effort to heal him. When she dropped to her knees and looked up, she gasped when she saw Sakura's face.

Sakura's eyes were drooping and her face was so pale that it seemed like blood had been drained immensely from her body, yet there was no wound to be seen. Her breathing was stuttered and her lips were purple, yet the chakura she was putting out did not flutter one bit.

"Sakura, are you alright?" asked Shizune.

The moment she asked, Sakura suddenly blacked out and fell into Shizune's arms.

"Sakura! Sakura!!!" Shizune shook her to get her to wake.

Itachi stepped over and swooped Sakura into his arms.

"She's been at this for an hour now. She told me not to stop her, and now her chakura is completely depleted," explained Itachi.

"Yamato?" said Kakashi, looking to him for a response.

"Got it."

With just a few hand signs, Yamato had constructed a triple-story house complete with doors and windows. The tip of the roof was sharp and ready to take on the onslaught of the next snow storm. Going up the front steps, Yamato pulled back the sliding door to reveal a huge room with a gigantic hearth and a mound of logs for a fire. Signaling to the others, he bowed like a gentleman for them to enter.

Itachi wasted no time in bringing Sakura straight in. Taking big strides across the floor, he gently placed her down close to the hearth before grabbing some logs to put into the pit. As he prepped to perform his fireball juitsu, Kakashi stepped forward and stopped him.

"Please, allow me," said Kakashi with deepest gratitude.

Thankful that someone recognized his exhaustion, Itachi was more than happy to oblige and stepped aside. As he went to kneel beside Sakura, he looked up to see Yamato carrying Naruto in with Shizune continuing to heal him as they went. Scanning his surroundings, he realized that he didn't see Sasuke anywhere. Itachi immediately got up and moved to the door to find Sasuke standing out in the field, an uncomfortable look about him.

"Sasuke..." said Itachi. "The cold air is coming in...."

Somehow the sound of Itachi's words seem to be the welcoming sign that cleared up Sasuke's confusion. He wasn't used to being around so many people after all that had passed between them, but he was too exhausted and did not want to face the bitter cold to find his own shelter. Though his steps towards the door were heavy, his heart lightened when felt the warmth from inside. Shutting the door behind him, he leaned against the nearest post before sliding down with a thump.

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief as they knew the battle was finally over. They had fought long and hard to get to where they were, and the fact that Naruto was safe made their shoulders relax in comfort. The crackles of the fire and the sparks that floated into the air hypnotized its audience as it danced to put them at ease. When the fire was steadily burning and the rafters were filled with heat, Kakashi then sought to break the silence and find out what happened.

"I guess I'll start first by asking how you got here?"

Sasuke, with an arm resting upon his knee, rubbed his fingers together in response. He was simply too exhausted to want to recount everything that happened.

"I, by good chance, happened to come across Sasuke and the baby..." started Itachi.

"The baby?" exclaimed Shizune. "What happened to it?"

Itachi, now realizing what little knowledge he had on the whole situation, looked to Sasuke in an effort to will him to explain.

Sasuke didn't have to look to realize that Itachi's gaze was piercing his head. Even though he didn't want to, Sasuke sighed reluctantly and began to piece together the events over the last few months.

Nobody seemed to move as Sasuke recounted his time spent with Sakura in Orochimaru's lair. It seemed that the details of the hideout were being permanently etched into everyone's memory. The entrance, the backdoor, the traps that embedded the hall, all of it was being duly noted so that they knew what to look for the next time something like this happened, if it ever happened again.

"I thought she was dead," Sasuke exhaled heavily when he reached the part where he had found her. "She was buried in snow and covered in blood. Had I known she was alive, I would have done something.... Anyway, I managed to trick Orochimaru and Kabuto to giving me the baby and ran for it."

Looking over at Itachi, Sasuke continued to explain.

"Due to the circumstances of the situation, I named the kid Yuki.... I know it's a father's right, but it seemed necessary at the time."

"It certainly fits," Itachi said, looking down at Sakura. "Was it a boy or a girl?"

Sasuke gave a slight chuckle. "You know, you'd think I would have checked first, but the weather didn't allow me to do it at the time, so I gave it a name that went both ways."

"So, in other words, Kisame is the only one left living who knows the answer to my question."

"Basically.... Anyway, I ran into Itachi and then that's when I got lucky. Sakura was still alive and holding her own once she chased down Orochimaru. Orochimaru ended up trying to take over her body since she pushed him to his limit."

"Amazing...." whispered Yamato, his eyes drifting to the young woman who lay unconcious.

"And the Kyuubi?" asked Kakashi.

"Well...... Naruto summoned the Kyuubi to get to Sakura when she got cornered."

"Hold on a minute. You mean to tell me that Naruto voluntarily released the Kyuubi?" exclaimed Shizune.

"Yes...."

"Oh boy. I am not going to be able to hold Tsunade-sama back once she finds out."

"Well, everything is fine now and I'm too exhausted to argue over what already happened. I need to sleep," said Sasuke, getting up and taking a spot further away from the door.

"Here," said Shizune, pausing in her efforts to heal Naruto. "Let me start healing you. Naruto should be able to make it on his own."

Nodding in consent, Sasuke laid back and shut is eyes. As the darkness filled his thoughts, he could hear Shizune make her way over to him. The sound and warm feel of her concentrated chakura lulled him into a deep slumber quicker than anything else could. After all that had happened, he could finally let his guard down.

Kakashi watched Sasuke as he drifted to sleep. He had been away from him for only a few years, but the lengths to which Sasuke had grown was astonishing. Kakashi could not help but admire the drive that Sasuke had to become better than what he was. Indeed, there may even be a chance that Sasuke had surpassed his former sensei, but in his heart he knew.

_Not yet..... _Kakashi thought with a smile.

Yamato was busy watching Itachi. It was weird having an Akatsuki member in his presence without sweating from nervousness. As he watched Itachi carefully pull the folds of Sakura's gloves gently back so that he could see her wounds, he saw a tenderness that was whole-hearted and soulful. The look on Itachi's face as he wrapped her hands in bandages showed complete love, and not a care to what the outside world thought. What they had was a dangerous love, the kind that drove people to do crazy things, abandon crazy motives and crazy ambitions.

"You really love her, don't you?" Yamato smiled.

"I do... She truly is worth dying for," answered Itachi, unaware that his words spoke volumes to what his personality was really like.

"I'll take the first watch," said Yamato as he stood up to take the stairs to the upper level. "Though I don't think there's much of a threat, I believe we should be cautious."

"I just wish we didn't have to be out in the open like this...." complained Kakashi. "Then maybe we wouldn't have to have a lookout."

Yamato stopped halfway up the stairs.

"Hmph... now why didn't I think of that?"

Running back down the steps, Yamato peeked open the front door and squeezed himself out.

"What's he doing?" asked Shizune.

"You'll see," smiled Kakashi.

Suddenly the house felt like it was being picked up. In fact, it felt like the house had grown a set of legs and started walking.

"Amazing!" exclaimed Shizune as the floor vibrated beneath her. "What control...."

When the house finally seemed to settle, the door peeked open and a very frozen Yamato stepped back in.

"Well, the storms started," Yamato spoke as he shook off the snow at the entrance. "I put us pretty deep into the forest so we should be good. There's no way a shinobi would brave that storm now that it's dark outside. If the snow didn't block us from view, the darkness surely did. I almost took off the roof when I moved it past the trees because I couldn't see."

"Arigatou," said Kakashi as his tired eyes thanked Yamato for eliminating a reason to have lookouts. "I knew you could do it."

"That's nice, Kakashi. Just get some rest. I don't know if we're going to have to carry that them all home in the morning."

As the storm slammed the branches of the trees against the house, everyone slowly settled into their spots and shared blankets so that they were all warm. Kakashi kept a few logs by his feet so that he could kick one into the hearth if need be.

"Kakashi, don't let the blanket catch on fire," Yamato yawned. "I don't think I'd wake up unless I'm good and charred."

"Just stick to your side and there won't be a problem," said Kakashi as he tugged at his half of the blanket.

Over on the other side, Naruto and Sasuke bunked together while Shizune was comfortably wrapped in her own blanket. However, over where Itachi was, he had turned Sakura onto her side so that they were both covered beneath his cloak. As he threw her top arm over his waist, he tucked the other between them so that he could wrap his big arms around her shoulders and brace her head. Pulling her so that she was slightly on top of him, Itachi laid his head back and heaved a heavy sigh, causing her head to rise and fall on his chest.

"I love you," whispered Sakura beneath the coat. "You're not going to leave me again, are you?"

Itachi looked at the high ceiling above and listened to the crackling fire.

"No...." answered Itachi. "Never again...."

".... Swear?...."

".... Swear...."

As the storm shook the roof, Itachi squeezed Sakura harder so that she was reassured that this time he was not letting go. What a strange power she had to pull all that was around her together in unity. Itachi never thought he could be in Sasuke's presence ever again without having a fight to the death, yet there he was just a few feet away. His little brother, sound asleep after a hard day's work. Looking down into the depths of his coat, two green eyes stared out of the dark at Itachi like priceless jewels that hypnotize its beholder.

"Do you love me?" asked Sakura, though she knew the answer already.

"More than you know."

"Hmph.... I think I know...."

Sakura burrowed her face into Itachi's chest and gave a tiny kiss. Pulling down one of his arms, she weaved her fingers between his until they could go no further. Squeezing hard, Sakura then pulled his hand to her lips for another kiss.

"I love you..." Sakura repeated.

Itachi let go of Sakura's hand wrapped his arm around her waist. Pulling her up so that his lips could reach hers, he planted a warm solid kiss on the tender lips that he had craved for so long.

Sakura was instantly thrown into a heat. Rubbing her bandaged hand up his abdomen, she didn't stop until she had gotten a hold of his neck and pulled him in for more. As her hot tongue passed into his mouth, Sakura's gentle hand on his neck turned into a claw that dragged back down his chest, eager to get his shirt off.

Grabbing her hand with his, Itachi clenched it and made her stop. Pulling back, Itachi leaned his cheek against hers and whispered.

"Not yet.... I will have you again, but you do not have enough energy to make it through the night."

Blushing bright red, Sakura felt a strong foreboding in Itachi's words. She may have fought the biggest fight of her life so far, but she knew it would be nothing compared to what he was going to do to her. The soft and gentle touch of his hand grazing her breast and the slightly devilish look in his eyes, ominously foretold of his devouring of her. Tickled pink, Sakura could not sleep for another hour, and neither could the others who hadn't fallen asleep yet.


	30. Chapter 30

A low fire now crackled in the deep hearth as its recipients snuggled tightly under their covers. Rays of sunshine peeked through the cracks of the house and drew lines of warmth across the floor. The quiet calm of the weather outside told of the storm's passing, and the snow that was melting from the roof landed with soft thuds on the ground. Though the air felt crisp and clear, the golden light of the morning sun emanated the specks of dust that floated throughout the house.

Sasuke peeked open his eyes as one of the threads of light fell upon his lids. Turning over to block out the sun, Sasuke pulled his feet in closer so that he built up more warmth. The floor was hard beneath him and slightly cold. His back ached after having laid on one side for so long, but although he was in pain, it was a lot less compared to what he was feeling the night before.

Sasuke's mind suddenly awoke from its slumber. After finally remembering where he was, he opened his eyes in solemn regret and stared at the wall across from him in vain. He wished he could just walk away from it all. The suffering, the awkwardness, the pain of old memories, he wish it would all disappear. He wished he could just go back to the good old days where all he really had to worry about were the fangirls in his class. Staring blankly ahead of him, he slowly re-convinced himself that this was the way it had to be and pushed himself to end things the way he originally intended, but however he reasoned, he could not help but notice that his drive to do so had greatly diminished.

Sasuke sat up slowly and slipped his feet out to put his shoes back on. Looking over his shoulder, he could tell that everyone was still in deep a sleep. All, however, except for one. The day before had been long and strenuous, but he had to do what he needed to do, regardless of the fact that they were exhausted.

Standing up, Sasuke turned to walk to the front door. As he passed Itachi's cloak however, he stopped for a brief moment.

"It's time to finish this," said Sasuke in a low voice. "I won't wait any longer."

Continuing on to the front door, Sasuke silently slid it open and stepped out quickly before closing it back. When a few seconds had passed, the Akatsuki cloak was lifted back to reveal Itachi's face, fully awake and deep in thought. He knew that the day was coming when past wrongs would have to be righted, and he knew that today was that day. In fact, it was what kept Itachi up for the most part of that night.

Looking down, Itachi watched as Sakura's hair covered her face and fluttered beneath her breath. She looked so peaceful and calm with her hand placed gently over his heart. She had fought so long and hard to get him back, and Itachi hated for what he'd have to put her through next. Still, there was unfinished business that needed to be taken care of long before she had arrived. Slowly slipping her hand off of his chest, Itachi inched himself away from her side.

Itachi sat there for a moment, debating on how he was going to finish this new predicament. He rubbed his hand over his eyes and scratched his head so that he'd wake up a bit more. Looking around the room he noticed that everything seemed to be so friendly that he didn't want to leave. It had been a long time since he had rested so peacefully, and he felt like he was going to be plunging back into the world of nomadic wandering that it made his heart stress with anxiety. He'd kill to have a month's vacation that included a single bed that didn't move. Things just weren't as easy as they used to be. Willing himself to stand, Itachi shuffled ever so quietly and reluctantly to the front door. Placing his hand upon the notch, he took a deep sigh as he knew what was coming next.

A cold rush of air swept into Itachi's chest. His hands immediately became cold and his face twinged from the sudden lack of heat. The feel of getting pulled out of the warmth that was behind him just pissed him off, but he had to do it. Slipping out, Itachi made sure that he shut the door as fast as he could so that everyone else was not disturbed. He squinted when he turned around to find that the sun was already quite high in the sky, and as his eyes lazily lowered back down to the ground, he found Sasuke standing like an immovable statue in the field, ready and waiting.

* * *

Sakura stirred beneath the cloak. Her body ached from sleeping on a hard floor but it was her hands that still stung from having been cut the day before. Feeling over to her right, she found that the spot where Itachi laid was now empty. A moment passed before she sat up with a start, panic striking Sakura's heart when she realized that he wasn't there. She whipped around to check her surroundings but found that he was no where to be seen. That's when she noticed that everyone except for Naruto was now gone as well.

_Why do I have a bad feeling about this?_ Sakura thought to herself.

Jumping up, Sakura put on the Akatsuki cloak as she strode towards the front door. Sliding it open just enough for herself to go through, she was startled when she found Itachi and Sasuke standing at opposing sides with the others waiting on the porch, knowing better than to interfere with family matters.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Sakura to Kakashi, knowing that if anyone was to say something on her behalf while she was unconscious, it'd be him.

"Sakura..." began Kakashi. "These two have something between them that I'm afraid not even you have the right to interfere."

"I don't believe this," exclaimed Sakura. "After all this time, after all we've been through, you're just going to stand there and let them kill eachother after we just defeated Orochimaru!?!"

Kakashi turned away in with solemn regret. There really was no place for him to say anything.

"I can't believe this shit!" yelled Sakura as she stomped down the steps and over to them.

As Sakura trudged through the snow with a growing fury, the only sounds she could hear was the crunching of the snow beneath her feet and the cold air whipping against her cloak every now and again. The look on her face just said it all: they were both going to die if they didn't stop instantly.

Coming closer to Sasuke and Itachi, she could see that they were ignoring her as neither of them bothered to look in her direction. The response was pissing her off even more, and she could barely contain herself until she reached a good hearing range for both of them.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!?!" yelled Sakura at the two who remained silent. "After all we've fucking gone through, you two are just going to ruin the moment by killing eachother!?! I've got a better proposition! Why don't I just fucking kill you both!!!"

Both Itachi and Sasuke knew she couldn't do it, but they still couldn't help feeling the least bit shameful at having someone they respected yell at them.

"Look," shouted Sakura even further. "I know that what happened between you two is unforgivable, but come on!!!! If you haven't figured it out by now, Sasuke, then you're even dumber than I thought!"

Sasuke finally took his eyes off Itachi to look at her. He didn't know what she meant by, "figured it out."

Sakura sighed irritably. "Come on, Sasuke. After all we've been through with your brother, do you see him as a cold-blooded killer? Do you see him as someone who could massacre your entire clan like a psychopathic maniac?"

Sakura stared at Sasuke who seemed to have some of the words sinking into his brain. It was true. Every action that Itachi had taken up until that point spoke differently from the person he thought he was. Whipping around, she went on to address Itachi.

"I know you're protecting him Itachi... That much is obvious... I know you. You're not the cold-blooded killer everyone thought you to be. I can see now that there is something more that you are hiding from us. You need to speak up now or you're going to lose your family even further."

Sasuke looked back at Itachi who had kept his gaze upon him the entire time. It seemed that there was something he was hiding, because the look of battle in his eyes suddenly dimmed for a brief second. The moment he saw it, Sasuke could not go any further until he knew what that thing was. Standing up straight, he made it known that he wasn't going to attack.

"What is it?" asked Sasuke. "She's right. There is something you're hiding."

"Just say it, Itachi," pleaded Sakura. "Please. I don't know what it is, but it's got to be said now when you have the chance."

Itachi felt his heart drop into his stomach. He was hoping he could live the rest of his life punishing himself for his past deeds. Though Akatsuki was the new way of life for him, like the others in Akatsuki, they all had their own reason for joining. Itachi's reason was to live a life of servitude, constantly moving so that he didn't have to think about all the horrible memories he was forced to keep with him all those years. He had chosen the long and strenuous road to redemption, and now here he was, at a crossroad.

"What are you hiding?" repeated Sasuke, trying to read what his brother was thinking.

Itachi could tell that they wouldn't get anywhere unless he said anything, so he relaxed his stance and tried to think of what to say.

"Just start at the beginning...." encouraged Sakura. "What happened?"

* * *

"Can you hear anything?" asked Yamato, tilting his ear forward as he struggled to hear what they were saying. "Come on Kakashi, you've got the best dog ears out of all of us."

Kakashi shook his head. "I believe they're well aware of that fact."

"They should have started fighting by now," said Shizune. "Something must be happening...."

The next couple of moments were followed by silent tension in the air. There was something not right by the non-movement that was happening out in the field, and though they all wanted to know what was going on, no one dared to break the bubble that had just been set.

Suddenly they all heard Sasuke yell, followed by a flash of bright light. Before they knew it, Sakura was screaming and Sasuke had plunged his chidori right into Itachi.

"Shimatta!!" shouted a stunned Kakashi. Taking off into the field, he didn't know what he was going to do, and as he sped across the plain his mind was thrown into chaos as to whose side he was going to choose.

Kakashi could hear Shizune and Yamato following, and it seemed like an eternity as they ran out towards the others. The color of red could be seen soaking the snow beneath Itachi, and Sakura stood frozen in defeat as Itachi had chosen not to dodge. Sasuke could be heard yelling in anger, and no one could make out what he was saying as the wind whistled past their ears in a deafening manner.

When Kakashi finally skid to a halt near the two brothers, he found that Sasuke's hand had cut into Itachi's left shoulder. As the bright light of the chidori still sparked with life, Itachi's face showed the stress he was under but didn't make a sound. Slowly he brought his left arm up and placed it on Sasuke's shoulder. Pulling Sasuke in, Itachi then proceeded to hug his brother to him until the chidori died down.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke," said Itachi as he gasped for air. "I.... I tried to protect ...."

Itachi collapsed sideways and Sasuke's hand was pulled out by the sudden fall. As Itachi lay before him passed out in the bloody snow, Sasuke's breathing began to become short and hyperventilated. Collapsing onto his knees before his brother, tears welled up in his eyes as he reached out and clutched Itachi's arm.

Sasuke could not hear anything even as Shizune rushed forward to turn Itachi on his back. His vision swirled in a haze of emotion, unable to believe what was happening. The shock he was sustaining in that moment alone was enough to make him forget who he was and where he had come from. All he knew was that his brother was dying, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Sakura stood in the same spot, her hands cupped to her face in fear and disbelief. She was frozen in terror as she watched Shizune rushing to administer medical treatment upon Itachi's unconscious self.

"Come on, Sakura," said Yamato as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her away from the scene. Over by Itachi, Kakashi pulled Sasuke up and did the same.

Shizune worked hard to assess Itachi's condition and immediately began to heal him. The wound made by the chidori was a complete hack job, and there were multiple veins and muscles that were severed instantly letting his blood flow freely.

_Shit, I'm going to have to stop the blood first before I completely heal him, _thought Shizune.

Taking off her belt, Shizune tried her best to tie off the area that was bleeding. The location of the wound made it difficult, but it helped in the very least. When she thought she had that situation under control, she once again tried to put back together the veins so that it further stopped the blood from leaking out. Though her knees and feet were freezing in the snow beneath her, she pushed on to make sure that Sakura didn't lose Itachi for good this time.

"Let me help," came Sakura's tiny voice as she knelt on the other side of Shizune. Her eyes were welling with more tears, but Shizune could see that she was trying desperately to push them back.

"Draw the blood away from the wound if you can," said Shizune. "I've got this area covered."

Sakura nodded and let a few tears slip down her cheeks. Sniffling, she placed her hands over Itachi's chest and began to use her chakura to manipulate the flow of his blood. She could feel it pulling back towards her like a wave, and held it there so that it was flushed to other parts of the body. Trying desperately not to look at Itachi's solemn face, Sakura kept her eyes on Shizune's hands as it worked his flesh back into health.

"It'll be okay, Sakura," reassured Shizune. "You know that Sasuke could have hit a far worse spot than this."

It was true. Sasuke could have penetrated Itachi at a more lethal area than the one he had struck, and Sakura believed that it was the fact that Itachi stood there to take his judgment whole-heartedly that made Sasuke hold back. The confession that came from Itachi was innocent in its intentions, but letting something like that happen to the Uchiha Clan took both supreme loyalty and utter betrayal on either sides. Sakura would never repeat what she had heard, and she swore to herself that she would not speak of it to even Itachi unless he brought it up. The tragedy that had befallen the Uchiha Clan had run much deeper than she thought. In essence, she pitied the family that had such a powerful Kekkei Genkai running through their veins. How could anyone guarding that kind of power ever be at peace?

"You can stop now," said Shizune. "Check his vitals."

Sakura brought herself back from the depths of her inner thoughts to check Itachi's pulse. His breathing had eased and his pulse was slowing down. Gasping in the sudden realization, the whole world seemed to come into view in that moment when she knew he was going to be okay.

"Arigatou, senpai..." whispered Sakura, letting the dam on her tears burst now that she knew he was safe.

Sakura looked over her shoulder at Sasuke who was still standing in shock beside Kakashi. Turning back to Shizune, she looked to her senpai for help.

"Don't be afraid Sakura. Go ahead," Shizune encouraged with a tiny smile.

Wiping the tears away with the back of her hand, Sakura pushed off the ground to stand up straight before taking a deep breath. Gathering whatever mental strength she had left, she turned around to face Sasuke and proceeded to walk towards him. The tears that continued to fall down her face despite her efforts to wipe them away made his heart burn with a fiery guilt that grew with every step she took to come closer. When she finally stopped five feet from him, Sasuke's eyes showed fear as he felt that a well-deserved punch was coming his way.

"Sasuke..." began Sakura. "Itachi is going to be okay."

Sasuke stopped breathing and stared at Sakura in disbelief. Falling to his knees, Sasuke burst into tears. He had reserved so much hatred in his heart for his brother that it pushed him to irrationality. He had a right to be angry, but after hearing the facts of his loss, Sasuke could not help but understand that his brother had genuinely tried to save him. His fury at the situation proved to be too much, but he was glad that he would at least get to have his brother back.

Sakura kneeled down and hugged Sasuke. His silent sobs were like daggers to her heart. There was so much hurt that happened between the brothers, it was wonderful to see that they had finally come to a resolution, even if it was through physical pain. Squeezing him tightly in her arms, Sakura felt his cold shoulders warm beneath her caress.

"Come on, Sasuke," whispered Sakura. "Let's go home."


	31. Chapter 31

"Huuuuuhhhh......" sighed Tsunade irritably. "What the hell is taking them so long?"

Tsunade was standing at the top of the Hokage building with her arms resting on the railing. A cold chill swept through her bangs as she viewed the snow-topped houses below.

"What's irritating you now?"

Tsunade turned around to find the source of her bubble-burster.

"Jiraiya?.... What happened? Couldn't find any young women to chase after?"

Jiraiya's face pouted at the smart remark. He hated whenever Tsunade was in one of these moods. No moment could be kept calm even if you weren't asking for it.

Tsunade sighed in further irritation.

"What is it?" Jiraiya asked again in an effort to alleviate whatever it was she was begrudging.

"I just needed some air, that's all.... The office is too quiet without Shizune around. Somehow sneaking away to go drinking isn't as fun as when you've got someone chasing your tail."

"Hehe, so that's it, huh? Being suffocated by the boredom in your life."

Jiraiya came over and leaned against the railing as well. Soon his face turned from a jovial expression to a serious one.

"Have you heard anything yet?" he asked.

"No.... not a single word. I'm beginning to wonder about Shizune's team as well. They're overdue.... No one is ever overdue with Shizune around...."

"That's true, not unless it includes someone like you to push her into being late."

Tsunade huffed. "What of Akatsuki?"

Jiraiya took a deep breath and searched for the words he needed to best explain the situation. Looking below, he saw a few children running past the front of the building, smashing snowballs against one another in a carefree spirit. Though things seemed peaceful on the surface, both Jiraiya and Tsunade knew that a storm was brewing for Konoha.

"It seems the time is coming when we will finally know what Akatsuki plans to do with the Jinchuuriki. Still, the leader of the Akatsuki still remains a mystery.... Life is so much easier when you know what you're looking for."

"What kind of preparations will need to be made?" asked Tsunade. "You're my eyes and ears on this one. There's no one else I can trust in this matter, let alone knows more than you do."

"I would say up your defenses. If you know a tide is coming, you start stacking sand bags before it hits, don't you? You should be planning wide-scale defenses. Barriers can be easily broken by Jinchuuriki, but maybe if you have several shinobi who do it exceptionally well can you make one big enough and strong enough. Evacuation drills are pretty good already."

"Still, there's always room for improvement," said Tsunade as she watched the children below begin to constuct snowmen. "Things would be more effective if the villagers could evacuate themselves without shinobi guidance. That would leave the arms and legs much more free to move."

Jiraiya nodded, getting up. "I agree.... Well, I'll try to keep my eyes away from the pretty girls long enough to see it coming, but I don't think anything will happen anytime..."

"Tsunade-sama...."

Jiraiya and Tsunade turned around to see that an ANBU member had appeared behind them.

"Report," said Tsunade.

"Kakashi's team is back..... and they've brought company."

* * *

Tsunade and Jiraiya hiked the steps that led up the cliffs behind the Hokage building. Apparently Kakashi had contacted ANBU to escort them into Konoha to remain undetected by lower-ranking shinobi. After sending Pakkun out to make contact, the ANBU forces were upon them within minutes of their arrival in Fire Country's inner territory.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" asked Tsunade as the ANBU led the way.

"Pakkun had only given my unit a specific location and time to meet which was an hour ago. He only mentioned that Kakashi was coming and needed an escort which included the entirety of my team. Due to the time constraints and the fact that it was Kakashi, I felt confident in the decision and had to make a move before we missed them."

"Who did they bring?" asked Jiraiya.

"You'll have to see for yourself. Kakashi instructed me not to divulge their identities until you saw them for yourselves."

As they all stepped over the top threshold of the steps, the ANBU did not look back until he had led them into the woods above the cliff. They continued on for another fifty yards before finally coming upon a small opening in the trees. There, Jiraiya and Tsunade found a large group of shinobi awaiting their arrival.

The sounds of their coming alerted everyone to their feet. It was an awkward situation for them all, but it was somewhat of a welcomed homecoming as well.

"What the...." began Tsunade when she saw the group.

Tsunade froze on the spot but let her eyes pass from one shinobi to the other, a habit from being a medical nin, and immediately stopped when she got to Naruto. She could see that he was pale and weak. The markings on his skin were unlike anything she had ever seen, and it was as if he was burned from the inside out. Knowing the pride that he had in his strength, she decided not to say anything.

Tsunade's eyes eventually made its way to the furthest standing individual who leaned against a tree. Sasuke was looking directly at her, but she could see a hint of guilt in his expression. She knew what kind of person he was, never saying sorry for anything, but she knew that he knew what kind of trouble he put Konoha through. Everyone seemed to instinctively step aside as Tsunade pressed her energy upon them to move.

"So Sasuke, I see you decided to return," began Tsunade.

Sasuke was silent. There were no words he could find to say after having been gone for so long and Tsunade, just like everyone else, could see the invisible corner he was stuck in. Cutting the guy some slack, she decided to speak for him.

"Welcome back, Sasuke.... I hope you've got lots of energy..." went on Tsunade before turning to glare at him in a fiercesome stare. "... because I'm going to make you work off all of the trouble you've put us through."

The threatening tone and evil aura that emanated from Tsunade's being was enough to scare even the ANBU who weren't in her view. Though everyone was glad to hear it, they turned to look at Sasuke with the utmost pity because of the jobs he was going to be assigned to in the coming months, and they knew that Tsunade wouldn't stop until her insatiable hunger was somewhat pleased. Still, Sasuke knew he deserved it.

"Sakura," continued Tsunade.

"Hai!"

"Where's that little runt so I can name it 'trouble'?"

Sakura gulped. "Well..... I haven't seen it yet myself..."

"Hmm?"

"You see, Kisame took it to keep it safe."

"You're kidding.... "

Sakura shook her head.

"You trusted that guy with a newborn baby?"

Sakura nodded.

"Well then, where'd he go?"

Everyone turned to face Sasuke. Somehow the events that transpired between the brothers had managed to hold off that question until now. Before that, no one wanted to bother Sasuke for anything. The medical attention that was needed by everyone was also a reason that they didn't concentrate on the baby first. They all knew that it would be safe with somenoe as skillful as Kisame, and trusted that they could leave it at that for the time being.

"He took the baby fishing," said Sasuke.

Tsunade and everyone else looked confused.

"What?" asked Tsunade.

"Fishing."

"Ah!" cried Sakura. "Ojiisan's village!.... He took the baby all the way back to Wind Country?"

"Ummm, Tsunade-baachan..." interrupted Naruto.

Tsunade turned to face him. She knew it was something bad because of the look on his face. As she watched his eyes flicker between her and Jiraiya, she knew.

"He's dead, isn't he?" whispered Tsunade.

Naruto nodded his head. "I'm sorry, but I did it."

Though Naruto was normally dense in the sense that he didn't pick up on people's feelings, he knew that Orochimaru was still Tsunade and Jiraiya's teammate, and losing him must have felt like losing Sasuke, even if Orochimaru did give them much reason to hate him. Jiraiya, knowing that Tsunade was the more sensative one, decided to speak for her.

"Well.... We are glad you're safe," Jiraiya smiled.

In that moment, somehow Naruto turned to the two adults and saw them in a different light. It seemed almost as if they were grandparents who welcomed home a child even after they had done something wrong. It was a strange feeling that Naruto had never felt before, but he welcomed it with open arms, just the same.

"So, how soon can we see the little tyke," Naruto asked Tsunade. "I know we've been gone kinda long, but I think it's pointless to celebrate until we've secured the kid."

Tsunade smiled and nodded. "I agree. Since this is a family matter, I'm sending the original Team 7...."

Sasuke's heart jumped.

".... and I guess I have no say over Itachi. I'll alert your mother, Sakura, and tell her your good news."

Sakura beamed. She had so much she needed to discuss with her mother, though she knew the idea of marriage and a grandchild was going to wipe all the anger away in one fell swoop. Still, Sakura thought she'd let her mother beat on her for just a bit as punishment for her own wrong-doings.

"Don't tell her about the wedding and the baby. I want her to yell at me first," said Sakura.

The idea of a welcomed lecture was new to everyone, so they stared at her funny before taking their leave.

"Arigatou," Kakashi bowed to the ANBU before they disappeared. Before they did however, he could see their eyes flash to Itachi who was once a member of ANBU as well. How things were going to turn out, no one knew.

"I'm giving you a week," shouted Tsunade over her shoulder. "I'll have a boat waiting for you at the Southern port. You have ten days! Don't make me wait any longer."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" asked Sakura to Naruto. "You only just woke up three hours ago."

"I'll be fine," Naruto smiled. "Besides, I have to teach the kid how to say 'Uncle Naruto' before it makes the mistake of saying 'Uncle Sasuke' first."

"Hmph" snuffed Sasuke. "Just like in everything else in life, you'll be second in this too."

"You're both wrong," said Itachi. "The first word that kid is going to say is, 'Daddy', and you know it."

Everyone froze in disbelief. It was probably the first time that they had ever heard Itachi joke. As the silence was cast widely over the group, Kakashi finally pushed them on.

"Now, now, let's get the kid back first...." pleaded Kakashi. "... besides.... it's going to be 'Uncle Kakashi' anyway...."

With that last note, Naruto and Sasuke took off after Kakashi when he sped towards the border leaving them all behind. As Sakura stood there staring at her old team racing past eachother in a carefree manner, she smiled at how things were turning out. Even if the bad blood was not over between the Uchiha brothers, she knew that if happiness were to ever grow out of sorrow, it first had to start with one good laugh.

"Come on, Sakura," said Itachi as he held out his hand to her. "Let's go get our child."

Sakura smiled warmly as she reached out and took Itachi's hand in hers. As he too began to chase after the others with her in tow, Sakura secretly watched the back of his head as he led the way. In her heart, she was content to follow him this way forever.

* * *

"So, Tsunade, what do you think?" asked Jiraiya as they made their way back down the steps.

"Well, at least with Sasuke back we can close that chapter of out-of-the-way missions and loose cannons," huffed Tsunade. "That kid cost so much trouble! More than Naruto ever did, in my opinion..... I'm going to make him bleed with the crazy missions I'm going to be putting him on. I'll make sure they're extra stressful, just for him!"

Jiraiya laughed. For once, he was on the other side of Tsunade's low shots while in her presence.

"I just...." began Tsunade, stopping on the mid-landing to look out over the village. "I just can't believe he's gone.... Out of the three of us, he truly was the real genius."

Jiraiya sighed. His heart was heavy with the same thought. After all that time of focusing on getting rid of Orochimaru, they were finally left with nothing but the sorrowful side of it. When all the hate was gone, their grief over the loss of a teammate was all that was left to feel. Jiraiya moved to stand beside Tsunade as he often did to her right, noticing that the tiny space between them felt empty as if it was missing someone.

"He wasn't always bad, you know," whispered Tsunade.

"I know...."

"Still.... I just can never make out what it was that made him stray...."

"Power... Greed... Fear of death.... It gets the best of us."

Jiraiya placed his hand upon Tsunade's for a brief moment, and waited for a response. He could see that she was holding her breath. After a few seconds, she brought her other hand over to place it upon his as well.

"I guess we're not the Sannin anymore....." Tsunade said softly.

Pulling her hands away from his, Jiraiya released hers too before setting off down the stairs ahead of her. Tsunade turned to watch him walk away, somehow having a feeling that she was going to lose him too. As she watched the breeze brush up the side of the cliff and catch Jiraiya's hair, she quickly moved to catch up to him, afraid that somehow the wind might whisp him away along with it if she didn't stay near. When the sun finally dipped below the horizon, a dark shadow cast upon the faces of the Hokages that graced the carved cliffside. Indeed it was an ominous sign as Tsunade's heart reached out to the man in front of her.

_Don't leave me, Jiraiya...._


	32. Chapter 32

"You've got to be kidding me...." Kisame said as he stared at the sign before him. "Another five miles!?! How much longer is this going to fucking take!?!"

_Waaaaah!!!!_

"Ai! Ai! Gomen! Gomen!" Kisame soothed as the baby began crying again. "Shit! This is ridiculous....."

Digging into his coat, Kisame whipped out a bottle of milk to feed the child that was strapped to his front. As the baby slowly warmed up to suckling on the tip, Kisame sighed in relief as it quieted down and stopped squirming.

"I can't believe this..." said Kisame as he began walking again.

After frantically deciding to take Yuki with him, Kisame had to think of the one place he could go without political interference, and the only place that came to mind was the fishing village back in Wind Country. There he figured he could easily find sanctuary, food, and supplies for the baby, as well as not have to dodge suspicious stares as he fended for them both. It was hard enough to lug a giant sword around, but a baby was a package with a mind of its own.

Kisame was exhausted. Never before had he dealt with something like this. The time, energy, mental and physical strength it took to take care of a baby was so much harder than he had ever thought. Thinking back on events past, he wished that he was the one that ran off to get bruised leaving Yuki with his uncle Sasuke.

"This has to have been the worst decision of my life...."

Kisame sighed a big sigh as he strutted down the road. Though the air was warmer here than it was in Sound Country, his feet were still frozen and sore from having walked so far. Everywhere he went he had to be careful not to catch attention, but it was hard trying to get milk while being the sharkman carrying an infant. One person had even asked to buy the baby off of him because they were afraid he might eat it. The repercussions on the person from asking such a stupid question was incredible, but they were lucky as Kisame had to tone down his anger with a baby onboard.

Kisame sighed again. Looking up into the sky, he was glad that it was still the early afternoon as the sun provided some warmth for his face. Although he was stuck in such a horrible situation, he was at the very least thankful that the weather was going his way. The smell of the ocean was becoming stronger as he ventured down the dirt road, and after walking for what seemed like fifteen minutes, he could eventually make out the sound of the ocean as well.

Looking down at the baby Kisame could see that the bottle was nearing its end. After all the battles that were fought and won in his lifetime, he could not believe that he was scared at the thought of not having a bottle of milk on hand once the baby got hungry again. Without his only weapon against the never-ending cries, he felt naked and helpless, and a nervous chill passed down his spine as the anxiety of it all just wouldn't quit.

A tiny stir from the bundle made Kisame more attentive. Looking closer at the baby, he saw its tiny eyes peek open and look around in bewilderment before locking its sights on Kisame's face. The sudden look stopped Kisame in his tracks. It was the first time the baby had really opened his eyes.

As the tiny black beads stared up at Kisame, Kisame's heart melted as it just looked to him in familiarity. From what his instincts were telling him, there was nothing that the baby feared from the one who held it snuggly in his arms. Suddenly Kisame felt that the baby trusted him, even if it was just a small thing, there was something in its eyes that were unafraid of being in his presence.

"Hmph.... Little runt...."

Kisame looked up and continued back down the road, but as he made his way deeper into the brush, he began to feel a large presence pressing upon him from behind.

_Horses...._ thought Kisame as he sniffed the air. _Carriages too...._

Wanting to make sure that he wasn't spotted by the wrong people, he ducked behind the trees beside the road to analyze their purpose.

"Keep it quiet, kid, or you'll be fish food!" whispered Kisame.

As the carriages drew near, Kisame could see that there were about ten of them at the very least, and noticed that they were merchants due to the lack of any women in the group and dressings of the men. Sitting at the reins of the first carriage was what seemed to be an old man, followed by a second carriage driven by a teenage boy.

Just as the first carriage began to near, Kisame accidentally leaned too close to the tree, nudging the bottle so that it popped out of the baby's mouth and smeared milk all over Yuki's face. As the sound of Yuki's voice rose from a whine to a cry, Kisame immediately pulled back to see what was wrong.

"Aaah!! Shhh! Shhh! Gomen! Gomen!" he whispered as he tried to wipe the milk away.

"Ojiisan!" yelled Takeru. "Do you hear that?"

"Hold!" shouted Ojiisan from the front.

As the carriages came to a halt, Ojiisan had ended up stopping adjacent to Kisame's position. Standing up so that everyone could easily see him, he made to address whoever it was that was clearly hiding in the woods.

"Is anyone there? If you need some assistance, do not be afraid to ask! We are mere fisherman on our way home!" Ojiisan called out into the trees.

"Fisherman?" asked Kisame to himself. Suddenly his face went from confusion to pure exhilaration.

"Thank Kami!!" yelled Kisame as he came running out from behind the tree. "I found you!!!"

The image of Kisame's huge stature surprised everyone at first, but his signature sword and coat soon reminded them of the group that saved them not too long ago.

"H-Hey... It's you!!" shouted Takeru as he stood up on the cart.

"Good! You remember! Now help me out here!" shouted Kisame as he stepped out of the bushes.

"My goodness...." whispered Ojiisan. "Is that.... Sakura's....."

"Yep. Only a few days old. The name's Yuki, now if you'd kindly help me out here, this isn't my element."

"Hahahaha!!! I can see that!" laughed Ojiisan as he looked at the fumbling Kisame. "Come here, I can take it."

Kisame gently stepped up onto the road and slowly lifted the crying baby up to Ojiisan.

"Awww... There, there, little one...." Ojiisan soothed as he took the tiny bundle into his arms, and like magic, Yuki instantly stopped crying.

"How did you do that!?!" Kisame asked in bewilderment.

"Well for one thing, you were holding him wrong. When they're this young you have to support their head as the muscles in the neck aren't strong enough yet. The next thing can best be put into fighting terms for you. It's like a battle really. You know the one who's going to die first when they have the look of fear in their eyes. Babies are good at that, they can smell the fear off of you! Hahaha!"

Kisame looked sideways in defeat. "So he read me like a book, huh?"

"Do not be discouraged! See, the sound of your voice makes him stir! He knows that you are the one that provides the milk!"

Kisame looked over to the baby who was squirming beneath the blanket. He didn't know whether he should be happy or sad about that.

"So where is Sakura?" asked Takeru, walking up to the front cart to see the baby. "Where is the father?"

Ojiisan looked to Kisame with worry in his eyes, hoping to hear that she was alright.

"I'm not sure," answered Kisame. "She was battling against a strong enemy when I left. Itachi and his brother ran off to help her and I took off to protect the kid. I was thinking that this was the only place I could come to that was safe."

"Of course!" said Ojiisan as he scooted over on the seat. "Please come with us. Let's get you both home safe!"

"Arigatou gozaimashita," bowed Kisame. "I was hoping for this response."

"Anything for Sakura," smiled Takeru. "You are most welcome."

* * *

Upon Kisame's arrival at the village, Yumi was at the forefront of spectators when the caravan pulled in. As soon as she had heard that Takeru's house would be hosting a baby, she immediately asked for her mother's permission to assist in the matter. Grabbing all the necessary supplies that were available thanks to her having so many brother's and sisters, Yumi went over and took charge of the baby while the men unloaded the barrels and washed down the carts.

Bringing the baby into the home, Yumi then got the baby to sleep before taking off like a storm in the kitchen. The vegetables were washed and chopped with the rice steaming away by the time Takeru and Ojiisan were finished. Though Kisame offered to help, Ojiisan shoo-ed him into the bath so that he could wash away the long travels that were burdened upon him. Needless to say, Kisame was more than happy to oblige.

"Hhhhaaaaahhhhhh!!!!" Kisame sighed in relief as he lay on the flat of his back. "Why the hell did I take the kid!?!"

"Kisame-san!" Takeru called from the kitchen. "The shabu-shabu is ready!!"

"Aaah....finally. I thought I was going to have to eat when the kid's up again!!"

The sound of dishes being moved could be heard as Takeru shuffled around in the next room. As Kisame slowly hauled himself off the floor, he walked on his knees over to the shouji doors and pulled it open before standing up.

"Hahahaha.... Good to see you, Kisame! You look exhausted! I see the kimono I left you fits alright," chippered Ojiisan as he sat down at the table.

"You've got to be kidding me!" complained Kisame as he took up the seat opposite from him. "Not only does this kid never sleep, he eats like a horse too! Constantly!!"

"Hahahahaha!! That's the way it goes, my boy! Becoming a father the first time around is like having someone dump a bucket of cold seawater on you, complete with crustaceans and kombu!"

"That's for damn sure.... Itachi better pay me back BIG for the crap I'm going through..."

"I'm sure he and Sakura are very thankful," Yumi said as she came out with plates piled high with Shiitake mushrooms, vegetables, and fish.

"I don't care."

Yumi giggled at his reluctance, but she and everyone else knew that Kisame really did care.

"Arigatou, Yumi," said Takeru as he came out carrying the nabemono pot that had a single piece of kombu soaking in it.

"Not a problem!"

As they all sat down to eat, Ojiisan dumped the fish into the water just as it began to boil. The aroma that lifted off the bowl and into Kisame's face smelt deliciously wonderful.

"Aaaah..." sighed Kisame. "I'm so glad I made it."

"Please eat as much as you like. There's more fish in the back, so I can just gut one really quick," said Takeru as he began dumping in the vegetables.

"So...." began Ojiisan. "I'm sure you probably already know, but is it a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know," answered Kisame. "I didn't look."

"What? But how did you...."

"I paid several people to do it along the way. Do I look like the kind of guy who changes diapers?"

"Well, I guess not. So then..."

Everyone looked at Yumi.

"What?" she asked.

"You're the only person in this room who knows the answer to that question," said Takeru. "That makes you a pretty powerful person right now."

"Does it?"

"Yes!"

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?"

"Tell us!"

"Hmmm.... I think you should learn how to change a diaper first...."

"Me!?!"

"Yupp. It's going to have to happen sometime, might as well be now."

Ojiisan laughed at the two. He could see that there was a wedding in the making. Still, he wasn't afraid to change diapers, not after having such a strong wife such as his.

"Come on, Yumi, just say it! You're torturing us!" Takeru pleaded.

"Oh, alright.... Well, let's just say that if Yuki stays with us a little while longer, we're going to need another carp kite to hang outside."

"Hah!!!" exclaimed Kisame. "It's a boy!!! I knew Itachi had it in him!!! Hehehehehe...."

"A first-born son is a celebration indeed," nodded Ojiisan. "Itachi will be very pleased."

Although it was a situation that many Japanese households celebrate, Yumi could not help but roll her eyes at the fawning over having a first-born son. There was nothing wrong with it, but she wished that the same would come from having a baby girl.

"Hmmm... should we celebrate?" asked Ojiisan.

Takeru nodded with a mouth full of food, "Ompf course!"

"Haha! Well, let me get the Sake! Tonight we celebrate on behalf of the child!"

Kisame smiled as he sat there eating to his content, but deep down he was worried about the partner that always had his back. Though the sound of merriment and taste of Sake was something he had not had in a while, his heart was heavy with the outcome of Itachi's fight with Orochimaru. Even at that moment, Itachi could be dead.

"Come now, Kisame. I am sure they are fine," said Ojiisan as he poured him a drink.

Looking up in surprise at how Ojiisan could read into these things, Kisame nodded his head as he pulled his cup towards him and waited until everyone had a drink.

"Kampai!!" shouted Ojiisan.

"Kampai!!" answered everone.

As all the cups were lifted and emptied, Kisame tried to wash down the worries he had in his belly with Sake. Placing the tiny cup softly down upon the table he paused, emptying his thoughts of all emotion. When the sound of crying began to echo from the other room, he was the first to stand and make his way towards Yuki. Even if he was tired of doing so, he reminded himself that the child was left in his care, and proceeded to fulfill the silent oath he had made to his partner.

* * *

The next few days went by smoothly. Every morning Yumi would come by with her mother to take charge of the baby, bringing it to the morning market with them along with whatever tiny budget Ojiisan could give her to buy groceries. Kisame, on the other hand, was not one to go grocery shopping. Being that he somewhat stood out as the tallest blue person there, he decided that the best thing to do would be to help Ojiisan and Takeru in their fishing. Afterall, he was from a village that was surrounded by water.

One late afternoon as Kisame stood at the back of the boat laying out the nets, he looked out to the beautiful horizon and saw a tiny dot in the distance. As he stopped for a moment and squinted to make out what it was, he noticed that it had white sails that blended with the sky. Watching it for a few moments more, he could see that it was sailing in their direction.

"Ojiisan!" called Kisame.

"Hmm?"

"Do you recognize that ship?"

Ojiisan turned to look where Kisame was pointing. As his eyes narrowed, he soon dropped the rope he was holding and ran over to Kisame's side.

"That ain't one of ours," said Ojiisan. "Do you think it's shinobi again?"

"Maybe, but we should be sure before we put the village into a panic. I can easily send a messenger to them, but it's never good to underestimate the enemy and think that I can defeat them all before anything bad happens."

"It's late anyway. Should we just head back?"

"We shouldn't lead them back to where the village is located. If one of them manages to get away, I won't be able to protect the village alone if they come back with reinforcements."

"What should we do?"

Kisame looked to the front of the boat where Takeru stood staring out as well.

"Hey kid!" yelled Kisame. "Whatever you do, don't piss them off and don't fight back."

Knowing that Takeru would be the one to blow his temper first, Kisame thought he'd address that fact before it became and issue. Turning to Ojiisan, he gave his next instructions.

"I'm going to go below and hide there for a while. If anything happens, I'll be able to hear it, just stay calm and do what you do best."

"What's that?"

"Be innocent."

Ojiisan nodded in compliance and continued to throw out the nets that Kisame was handling. As he did so, Kisame made his way over to the stairs that led down into the hull. Pausing to look out to the ship, he gauged their speed and estimated the time in which they'd intersect. It would take them fifteen minutes if the wind stayed the same, so he stepped down into the dark to await their arrival.

The sound of the waves knocking against the hull ticked away the time that Kisame had to wait. As he sat on a crate below the deck, he pulled his sword towards him and began to pick at the wrappings.

"So, Samehada, do you think we'll get a treat today?" Kisame spoke to the sword.

The hull was dark and damp leaving Kisame feeling somewhat cramped as he tucked one leg under the other. After what seemed like forever, he eventually could hear the waves knocking the hull become more frequent in their beat. It meant that the ship had closed the distance enough to affect it so.

Kisame shut his eyes and listened as the thuds became closer in their timing. When he thought that the ship was at least ten feet from them, he knew something was wrong.

_They're boarding the ship,_ thought Kisame.

As Kisame sat there in the dark, he noticed that the voices above him were low and non-threatening. It wasn't anybody familiar however, as no doubt Ojiisan would have been laughing by now.

"Open the hull, please," came a man's voice from above.

"Is something wrong?" Kisame could hear Ojiisan saying.

"There's nothing wrong, we're just looking for something."

The door to the hull was pulled open and two feet wearing shinobi shoes stepped in. As it came down the steps slowly, the glint of a kunai was briefly seen from within the thick black sleeves of the individual. When the man had landed on the bottom step, his painted face cautiously scanned the room.

Nothing could be seen that was out of the ordinary. The crates and nets that were against the wall were neatly stacked and pushed to the side. As the shinobi passed by the last crate and a tall box of fishing poles, he paused and studied the two items discretely before suddenly pulling out two kunai and jamming it into them both at the same time.

Two loud poofs sounded as the clouds of smoke went up and the box of poles turned out to be a gigantic sword. What was wrong however was that the crate turned out to be a crate cloaked as crate.

"Don't move," whispered a menacing voice from behind the shinobi as a kunai was brought to his thoat. The pillar that had stood behind him turned out to be Kisame.

"How many of there are you?" asked Kisame.

The shinobi did not speak.

Kisame stabbed shoulder of the man and soon found that it too was a replacement juitsu. As the kunai dug into what felt like wood, he shoved it away as blades began to protrude from six different arms.

_A puppet, _thought Kisame as he reached for his sword.

Smashing Samehada down on the puppet, Kisame bounded up the stairs to get a better swinging ground for his sword. Looking over to the bow of the ship, he saw the puppet handler narrow his eyes as he prepared to send another one after him.

"Hold it!" shouted Temari to Kankurou. "He's not the enemy!"

Kisame suddenly stopped and looked inquisitively at Temari.

"Hoshigaki Kisame, am I not mistaken?" asked Temari.

"Who's asking?" said Kisame as he lowered his sword.

"I am Temari of the Sand, friend of Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura. We came out here on personal orders from the Kazekage because we had heard that you were spotted carrying an infant. Though we are not here to arrest you, we did have to keep the appearance that we were in pursuit of a criminal. We came to help."

Kisame looked Temari up and down in an effort to read her intentions. When his eyes passed over the fan on her back, that's when it hit him.

"That was you who helped us get away that night..." said Kisame as he changed his defensive stance to a relaxed one.

"I was."

"So what are you going to do now that you've found me?"

"Protect you for now. We received word that Konoha is not too far behind, but we were sent out as a precaution."

"Did anyone else realize that I came here?"

"Only a few people alerted us to your direction, but none really knew who you were or where you went. Given that we met before, we knew where you were headed."

"So, I'm under the protection by order of the Kazekage himself? That's new."

"Please, let us escort you back to the village."

Nodding in approval, Kisame looked back when he heard a huge sigh of relief come from Takeru as he slunk back against the mast. Over at the front of the ship, Ojiisan smiled and put his hand on his head with a laugh. Everything was seeming to come together after all, but as Takeru began to pull up the anchor, Kisame could not help but think that things were not over just yet.

* * *

As the ships pulled into the dock, Takeru stuck his head up to see if he could spot Yumi's face as she would always be waiting for him when he returned. Scanning his eyes over the eastern shore, he did not spot her familiar head anywhere.

"Huh? Where's Yumi?" Takeru asked.

Ojiisan looked up from tying the ship to the dock and saw that Yumi was nowhere to be seen.

"She probably saw that we had company and ran back to prepare more food," Ojiisan shrugged.

Everything seemed fine as Takeru passed the barrels of fish down to Kisame who loaded them onto the cart. Although the day was shorter, they had a relatively good catch since Kisame was there to help them.

As the party walked up the road to Ojiisan's house, their voices happily intermingled as being there was somewhat of a vacation for Temari and Kankurou. However, as they neared the end of the road Kisame perked his head up at having sensed something strange. Throwing his hand out suddenly, he made everyone stop in their tracks.

Lowering the handles to put the cart down, Kisame took a few steps forward and smelt the air. Standing behind him, Temari and Kankurou did the same.

"Explosives...." whispered Kankurou.

"Not just any explosives...." said Kisame. "Ojiisan, Takeru. Go back to the ship and wait there. The rest of you stay here."

Seeing that Kisame was familiar with this new presence, Temari nodded to Kankurou to hang back until it was deemed necessary to interfere, but as they watched Kisame walk slowly up to the house, their guts pulled in anxiousness as dodging explosives was quite different from dodging shuriken.

Kisame stepped cautiously up the front steps to find that the front doors had been ripped open. As he stepped over the threshold, he could see that blankets were strewn across the floor as if someone was scrambling to get away.

"Yumi?" Kisame called out.

There was no answer.

Going into the kitchen, Kisame found that the pot of water that was on the stove had not yet boiled. Turning it off, he ran back outside.

"He's a flyer! We need to find which direction he went in!" shouted Kisame.

"Alright," Temari answered as she whipped out her fan.

With one fell swoop Temari jumped up and swung her fan at the ground so that it sent her flying into the air once she pulled the fan beneath her. As she soared up past the treeline, she quickly scanned the horizon before gliding gently down to earth.

"They went west!" she yelled as shut the fan and re-strapped it to her back.

Taking off, Kankurou and Kisame eagerly followed her as they cut through the woods.

"How far ahead?" shouted Kankurou.

"Half a mile!"

"Will we be able to catch them?"

"I just need to get a few meters close and I can stop him!"

"You're too slow!" yelled Kisame as he suddenly grabbed her and threw him onto his back.

"Ack! What the hell are you doing!?!" yelled Temari as she suddenly found herself riding him.

"Just shut up and I'll get us close!"

"Kankurou! You'd better not tell Gaara about this!!!"

Kankurou snickered. "There's no way I'm not!!"

Even though Kisame was carrying his sword in his hand, his size and agility was incomparable to anything that Temari had ever seen. As the branches of the tree past below her, she noted that he had not reduced in speed even when he had picked her up.

"Amazing...." she whispered.

"Yeah? Well don't get used to it!" shouted Kisame.

As the three of them raced as quick as they could, it was not long before they saw the giant white bird through the trees.

"Are we close enough yet?" asked Kisame.

Temari looked up and judged the distance.

"Almost! I just need to get a little closer than usual so that you can drop me off! I need to use my entire body for this! I'll handle the baby, you just be ready to catch the girl!"

"You get the girl, kid," said Kisame to Kankurou. "I'll handle Deidara."

When the three of them seemed to be almost under the bird, they could see that Deidara had not yet caught on to them.

"This is good," Temari whispered to Kisame. "Let's wait until we hit that clearing up ahead!"

As Temari reached back and grabbed the hilt of her fan, Kankurou spread out to give them enough room for her to make her swing.

"Alright," said Temari, "Now get out of the way!"

Kisame felt Temari kick lightly off his back before he dodged to the side. Spreading the fan to its full potential, Temari swung the fan with such a ferocity that it kicked up the ground before her and sent it hurling into the sky.

The rocks that were swept off the floor pelted the white bird in fury before a whirlwind from above pressed it to the ground.

"What the!?!" shouted Deidara as the wind threw the bird. Yumi screamed with Yuki in her arms as she suddenly fell off.

Kankurou rushed over as he saw Yumi fall to earth clutching the baby in defense. Gauging where she would land, Kankurou felt a brush of wind pass him to try and ease their death-filled crash to the ground. The strong wind that blew from beneath Yumi caused her hair to fly wildly as it whipped past, and she thought it was going to rip Yuki out of her arms before she felt two strong ones cradle her into theirs.

"I got you!" shouted Kankurou as he caught them mid-air before falling down to land on his feet.

Kankurou heaved a heavy sigh of relief as he looked back up to see the height from which they had fallen. Looking down at Yumi, he found that she still had her eyes shut tight with her arms protecting Yuki as best as they could.

"Hey, are you alright?" asked Kankurou.

Yumi opened her eyes and burst into a hysterical cry. Reaching one arm up, she caught Kankurou around the neck and hugged him in thanks.

"Hey, hey! It's alright! Don't worry, we've got you!"

"Arigatou!!!" sobbed Yumi as she clutched his shirt. "Arigatou!!!"

"Temari! One more time!" shouted Kisame.

Temari swung her fun again, but this time wasn't nice about it. As the wind once against kicked up the ground, Kisame could see that there were blades in the breeze that sliced the floor as it went. Watching silently as he knew it was getting closer, it was not long before Kisame saw the wings of Deidara's bird sliced into chunks, sending him crashing down towards the ground.

"My turn..." said Kisame.

Bounding forward, Kisame leapt into the air to meet Deidara's fall. As soon as the blonde-haired Akatsuki passed him, Kisame swung Samehada and brought it smashing down on Deidara's head to increase his speed to earth.

A loud crash sounded below Kisame as Deidara struck the ground. Dirt and dust soared everywhere as a new crater was made. When Kisame finally landed on the rim of it, he put his sword on his shoulder in a leisurely manner and looked into the new hole he had created.

"Hmmm...." said Kisame. "Not as big as the last one...."

"What the fuck, Kisame!?!" shouted Deidara once the dust cleared. "What the fuck was that for!?!"

"You're asking me those questions? I think it's the other way around...."

"Help me up!!!"

"Not until you explain yourself first."

"I'm here on leader's orders!!! He learned what happened and wanted me to collect the kid ASAP!!! You weren't around, so I assumed you didn't get the message!"

"And taking the girl?"

"You think I'm going to change diapers!?! Hell no!!!"

"Quit shouting, it's making my ears hurt."

Deidara pulled himself up and climbed out of the hole.

"You're a fucking jackass!! You know that!?!" shouted Deidara. "I came all the way out here and even ditched Tobi just in case!!!"

"Just in case? Just in case what?...."

A look of confusion passed over Deidara's angry face, and he looked at Yumi who stood in fear with Yuki in her arms.

"I see...." said Kisame. "You're still not sure where your loyalties lie."

"I know where they are! .... Just not in this instance...."

"Such a good heart," joked Kisame.

"Shut up! Where the hell is Itachi?"

"I'm not sure. I split up with him. He might be on his way though."

"Well, it's not going to be long before Tobi gets here, and I'm not sure how I'm going to hide this then...."

Kisame sighed. "Well, let's wait until Itachi gets here. We'll have to figure out where his loyalties lie first. Until then, let's go back and get the kid some food."

"Wow, you really got attached to him, huh?"

_Whomp!_

Deidara followed behind Kisame with a new lump thanks to Samehada. Turning back to make sure that they weren't being followed, he then looked forward to find that Yumi was staring angrily at him.

"Don't worry Yumi," Kisame said as he patted her on the head when he passed. "He's okay."


	33. Chapter 33

Dinner was certainly awkward that night when Kisame brought the intruder home with them. Although it was explained that Deidara had acted on orders, a new threat passed over them all as the location of the baby was once again made public to Akatsuki.

"This isn't good," said Kankurou as he poked at his rice. "The country is going to have to up its defenses if there's going to be an influx of fighting. There are more civilians than there are shinobi. We can't protect everyone."

"Don't worry. We'll be out of your hair before you know it," Kisame reassured them. "Depending on Itachi's decision, this will either be Akatsuki's or Konoha's problem to deal with."

"Do you really think Itachi would leave Akatsuki?" asked Deidara. "You know that leader won't tolerate a loose end, especially one that holds vital information."

Kisame sighed. "You know, I've been thinking about this a lot since Itachi and Sakura first met. If he did choose to leave this life, where would he go? I don't think the Hokage would let him stay in Konoha without forcing him to relinquish any and all information. As for me, I don't think I could bring myself to kill my partner, even if I was ordered to....."

"So where does that leave me?"

"You're on your own kid. You've got nothing to lose. You can either turn a blind eye and walk away, or make something of it."

Deidara thought about the first time he met Itachi. The cold cruel reality of his strength was astonishing, and Deidara had fixated all of his efforts on trying to defeat such a foe. Even though Itachi had nothing against him personally, Deidara couldn't stand how easily it was for him to be defeated by the Sharingan.

"So even if Itachi decides to stay with Akatsuki, what about the kid?" asked Deidara.

"It should go to Konoha, of course," answered Ojiisan. "A young child with a mother like Sakura would not be able to prosper in your world. Sakura has a different set of ideals and the baby needs her nurturing. That leaves Itachi to make his decision...."

Everyone sat quietly as they pondered the different outcomes of the situation. What Ojiisan said was true, but it still left the question of what to do about Itachi. Even if it was Itachi's decision, either way it would make the very people at that table turn into either enemies or friends.

"Well," began Kisame. "I've made my decision. Whatever route Itachi takes, I will support him. He's saved me many times before, and I think I owe him this much at the very least."

Deidara looked down at his rice bowl and pondered in silence. He could feel the tiny stares of everyone upon him, waiting to see what he was going to say.

"Look, if it makes it easier, Deidara, I'll kill you if I have to," smiled Kisame.

"How reassuring.... That makes my decision much easier...."

"Loads..... Now if you're done, go fix the damn door."

* * *

A few days passed and everyone was peaceful yet on edge. Deidara had set up a perimeter around the village just in case Tobi decided to catch up. Whatever they did, they knew that Tobi must not find out about the baby, otherwise he would blabber to their leader about what happened.

On the third day after Deidara's arrival, Temari sat at the docks with Kankurou in deep discussion.

"I really hope they get here quick because Gaara going to send a back-up unit pretty soon," itched Temari. "We can't risk sending a message to him. Too many people will see."

"In a way you have to admire the Hokage," began Kankurou, completely ignoring what Temari had said. "She's not just bending for her student, she's knowingly enticing an Akatsuki member to join their side. What a chance that this opportunity would fall into Konoha's hands. Think about it Temari. If you fall in love with Kisame or Deidara, we could be just like them."

_Whap!!!_

Kankurou laughed as he blocked Temari's hand from smacking him across the head.

"What?" he snorted. "You don't like sharks?"

As their laughter carried over to Ojiisan's ship that remained docked, Takeru stuck his head up to see what was so funny. When he smiled at the two, he thought of what a great couple they might make, but stopped short of the idea of marriage when he spotted something on the horizon.

"Oi!" called Takeru. "Look there!"

Temari and Kankurou turned and peered out to the horizon. When they spotted the tiny ship that was sailing towards them, Temari grabbed her fan in alarm.

"Go get the others!" she shouted to Takeru.

Takeru jumped over the ship's railings and took off towards his home. In the absence of his presence, Kankurou decided it was best to plant himself beneath the dock.

"I'll be waiting. Just give a shout and I'll come out," he rhymed.

"Got it."

As the ship drew nearer to her location, Temari placed her fan behind a pillar that held up the docks so that whoever was aboard could not see it. Waiting in anticipation, she tapped her fingers upon the splintering wood as if timing the ship's approach.

"Hurry up," she whined to herself.

When the ship finally came within a good distance from the shore, Temari could finally make out the tiny black dots of heads aboard it. It was not until she spotted a pink one that she gave a shout.

"Oi!!!!!" she yelled and waved to the ship. "We've been waiting!!!!!"

"Temari-san!!!!!" Sakura yelled back. "Arigatou!!!!!"

"Hehe. You can come out, Kankurou!"

"Finally...." he gasped as he hauled himself back onto the dock. "That took forever!"

The ship pulled in with a speedy approach that created a thud when it hit the dock. As Temari welcomed the group off the ship, Kankurou waved up the street to the house, signaling that everything was okay.

Sakura threw herself on Temari for a hug.

"Arigatou for everything," whispered Sakura as she squeezed.

"Not a problem. This still does not settle the score for you having saved Kankurou and Gaara all in one week," smiled Temari.

"Is my baby okay?"

Temari smiled at the teary-eyed Sakura and began to tear as well.

"He's fine."

"He???" said Naruto. "Did you say 'he'?"

Temari nodded.

Itachi looked at Sasuke and smiled. They now had another Uchiha to carry on the name.

"Well done," said Sasuke.

Just as the congratulating got under way, Ojiisan, Yumi, and Takeru came walking up the dock.

"Hello, Sakura," said Ojiisan as he held a tiny bundle in his arms. "He has been waiting anxiously for you...."

Sakura stopped breathing for a moment as silent tears began to run down her face. Cupping her hand over her mouth, she reached out with the other as Ojiisan brought the bundle closer.

"I can't believe it," gasped Sakura as she took the bundle into her arms. "He made it... We made it...."

Looking at Yuki's face, Sakura began sobbing as she finally found what she had been yearning for, for so long. She turned to Itachi and brought the baby close so that it was between their bodies in shelter.

Itachi threw his arms around Sakura and the baby, having at last gotten what he wanted. Putting his face into her hair, he hid himself from view as he took in the moment that he had been waiting for. When he finally deemed it necessary to look back up, he found Kisame and Deidara standing at the back of everyone.

"Congratulations, Itachi," said Kisame with a grin. "I knew you could make a boy."

Temari and Yumi rolled their eyes.

"Oh my God, is that all you can think of?" said Temari. "What's wrong with a girl?"

"Nothing, but the girl can't carry on the name," said Kisame. "Besides, you can't make a spitting image of Itachi unless you have a boy."

"Arigatou, Kisame," Sakura sobbed from beneath Itachi's arms. "Arigatou gozaimashita, everyone!"

Sakura turned around and bowed to everyone standing before her. She owed them so much for everything, whether it was her life, Itachi's, or Yuki's. She would for the rest of her life feel indebted to them for this.

As the sun set below the horizon and the stars came out, only then did the group decide to say their goodbyes.

"You're leaving so soon?" asked Takeru to Sakura. "I thought you would at least stay for a night."

"I'm afraid we can't risk having anyone outside the village spot us here. It's just too much of a danger."

"My dear girl, I was hoping that I would at least get a chance to worry over the story of where you've been since you left," began Ojiisan. "But I see that I will have to let it wait for another time."

"You'll get an invitation to the wedding, I assure you."

It seemed that as everyone else was preoccupied with their goodbyes, a tiny counsel was being held at the end of the dock between members of the Akatsuki and Kakashi.

"What will you do now?" asked Kisame.

Itachi looked down towards the ground before coming back up to meet his eyes.

"I can't be with Akatsuki anymore," he said. "I think you know that already. After controlling the Kyuubi, I'm almost near my limit. Either way, I would not be of use to Akatsuki much longer."

"Can we fake your death somehow?" asked Deidara. "I mean, no one really knows what happened to you after you and Kisame split up. We can just say that you didn't make it."

"That is an option," agreed Kakashi. "Kisame can say that you used your eyes in the last moment to save Sakura, and died from the repercussions of using the Mangekyou Sharingan."

"Then it's settled," said Kisame. "Itachi died from protecting his fiance and kid, but what about me? How do I explain to leader how I lost the kid and wound up way down here?"

Everyone looked at each other at a loss for ideas. It was strange that after such a huge battle that Kisame would suddenly decide to vacate the situation and go to Wind Country without orders, including the fact that he did not report to leader once it had all happened. When they finally realized the gaping hole in their plan, that's when someone else stepped in to fill it.

"He was pursuing me," said Sasuke, stepping forward. "I took the baby in the first place, after all. Kisame pursued me while Itachi stayed behind and defended Sakura from Orochimaru. Things just got out of hand when Naruto lost control of the Kyuubi. Rumors of Itachi's death should take care of the rest."

Everyone stared at Sasuke in disbelief. They weren't sure if it was a story they could solidify within the minds of the other Akatsuki members.

"Deidara can be the witness," said Sasuke when he read into them. "Deidara came upon a battle between me and Kisame. Being that I have the Sharingan, Kisame was no match."

"Hey now, I'm not that easy to fend off," pouted Kisame. "I could easily wipe the baby whiskers off of your face."

"I doubt it," said Itachi. "He's grown much more than when you last saw him."

"So, in the end Sasuke took off with the child in his hands and no one knows where he went," ended Kakashi. "Well, everyone will know that he eventually makes it to Konoha, but I doubt that your leader will risk retrieving him from there."

Everyone nodded in agreement. When they really thought about it, this was the only option they had without actually killing anyone to prove it. All in all, Deidara was their ace in making this story plausible.

"Just let me do the talking," said Kisame to Deidara. "I lie much better than you do."

"Hmph, I doubt that."

* * *

As the boat sailed off into the twilight, Sakura watched the faces of Ojiisan and the others fade out in the distance. Her heart burned already from missing them so much, but she knew that it wouldn't be long until she saw them again, perhaps in Konoha. When the last waving hand went down, she turned back out to the sea with a new child in her arms.

"I'm so lucky," said Sakura. "I'm so lucky to have friends that would do all of this for me."

Looking up to Itachi, Sakura smiled when he replied, "I'm so lucky to have you."

Itachi reached down and placed his hand upon Sakura's chin to give her a tiny kiss. Over at the bow, Sasuke tried to ignore the obvious display of affection, and turned to look back at the village before noticing something strange.

Sasuke could have swore that he saw something orange from the trees staring out towards them. As soon as he readjusted his gaze to see what it was, it was gone.

"So what kind of occupation do you think I could have once we reach Konoha?" Itachi asked Kakashi.

"Well, I believe Tsunade will want to have a look at your eyes first, and then you'll be taking the only position you can take, really."

"What's that?" asked Naruto. He had been eavesdropping again.

"Considering that we can't be advertising that a former Akatsuki member has returned to Konoha, not to mention many shinobi in Konoha would not approve, his identity would be classified and protected under the Hokage. That leaves only one occupation available...."

"... ANBU," finished Itachi. "I should have known that I couldn't get away that easily."

"Judging by the situation, ANBU will probably have to be notified of the situation in case anyone comes looking for you. Your unit assignments, missions, everything would be classified within ANBU itself as well. I don't think Root will even be notified of it."

"So in essence, Itachi will become Konoha's secret weapon," said Sasuke. "The sleeper unit that watches over Yuki as he grows up."

"I guess you forgot that you were his Uncle, Sasuke," smiled Sakura. "I expect you to watch over him too."

Naruto sighed and scratched his head. "I guess Konoha will not be the same after this..."

As the ship sailed off into the ever darkening horizon, the sweet smell of night crept upon the ship's bow as it cut through the water like a dull blade. Back on the shore from the branches of the trees, the orange spot that Sasuke had spotted moved out from within the shadows. The long black cloak with red clouds that seemed to float with the fluttering of its seams were a dark contrast to the orange mask that the person wore. The swirling design and single hole from which the eye could see tilted in thought as it stared upon the ship sailing away.

"I will let you live.... for now," came a low voice from the mask.

With that, the image of the man with the orange mask seemed to melt back into the shadows and disappear without any sound. Waiting for the young Uchicha to grow to full potential would be an interesting thing to watch, and waiting for it to happen would not be long for someone of his nature. With Itachi and Sasuke as a teacher, surely this child would be a great shinobi worthy of the Uchiha name. It was worth the wait, and the battle had only just begun. It was just too bad that Itachi already knew that it was coming, and would likely be anticipating it in the end.


	34. Chapter 34

_CRASH!!!!_

The Hokage's desk could be seen flying out of the window of her office by the guards below.

_SMASH!!!!_

"_NARUTO!!!! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!!!!!!_" screamed Tsunade from above.

Izumo nonchalantly looked over at the desk and put down his newspaper. Standing up slowly, he began to walk over to do the nearly monthly ritual of hauling it back up to her office.

"Wait!" Kotetsu shouted as he grabbed Izumo's sleeve. Pointing up to the window, Izumo saw the reason for caution.

A shower of scrolls came flying out of the window before a blond-haired teenager was launched out with them too.

"Oh shit!" yelled Izumo and Kotetsu simultaneously as they rushed forward to catch him.

_"Ooof!" _they all exhaled once Naruto was caught.

Suddenly a red-faced Tsunade stuck her head out from the window and began hurling more scrolls down at them all.

"TSUNADE-SAMA! PLEASE!!!" shouted Shizune as she tried to hold her back.

"TWO MONTHS!!! _TWO MONTHS _you were gone and you managed to get a civil inquiry from the _DAIMYO!!!!!_"

"Nani datte-bayo!?!" yelled Naruto back up to her. "What did I do!?!"

"WHAT DID YOU DO!?!" screamed Tsunade in fury. "BEING WITH THE AKATSUKI FOR TWO MONTHS DOES NOT MAKE YOU AN HONORARY MEMBER!!! YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO PARTICIPATE IN THEIR SIDE-MISSIONS!!!!!"

"Oh shit....." mumbled Naruto.

"THAT'S RIGHT!!! SCREAMING THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE THE NEXT HOKAGE DIDN'T HELP EITHER!!!!!! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU BLEED!!!!!!!!"

Tsunade's angry face suddenly disappeared from the window above.

"Oh...Shit!!!" cried Naruto as he and the others scrambled to get out of the way.

As soon as he had gotten to his feet, he felt a shadow pass over him from above, and he knew it was too late. Saying a tiny prayer, Naruto shut his eyes as he felt the heel of Tsunade's shoe come down on his head.

_BOOOOOM!!!!!!!_

The explosion that rocked the Hokage's office could be felt and seen by the sentries at the front gate. As their attention suddenly turned towards the building, they all wondered in horror as to who the victim of the week was.

"Hmph.... Tsunade must have found out about Naruto," muttered Ibiki as he turned his attention back out towards the forest.

Over at the flower shop, Ino and Sakura paused in their conversation as they too heard the sudden explosion.

"What do you suppose that was?" asked Ino.

"I don't know," said Sakura as she handed Yuki over to her. ".... but I have a feeling it has something to do with Naruto."

"You know, if you feed him honey at an early age then he will be less susceptible to being allergic to pollen when he grows up."

"Really?"

"Well, that's at least what my mother said. You know my family, always preparing for the new shop worker that's born."

Sakura giggled. "Well, you're an aunty now. I'm counting on you to help me teach him the finer ways of how to treat a girl."

"Damn straight.... This kid will have so many girls pouring over him, naturally, but I don't want it to get to his head. After all, girls love a bad boy, but they always want a gentleman in the end."

"No reason why you can't have both," Sakura grinned.

"Well I think in your case it's an exception..... Hello Yuki! I am your Aunty Ino! I love you!"

Ino smiled brightly as Yuki looked wide-eyed at her and smiled back.

"Such a happy baby...." whispered Ino to Sakura. "You are so lucky."

"So you're coming tomorrow night right?"

"Of course! I'm your best friend aren't I? I wouldn't let Naruto have that position even if he was a girl."

"Good, because I'm counting on you to be there.... Well, it's getting late and I need to get my beauty sleep. Everything's all set for the ceremony, but I still need to relax because this whole week has just been one crazy mess. Thanks again for the flower arrangements."

"Not a problem. By the way, the whole arrangement is free, courtesy of the Yamanaka Clan."

Sakura gasped and threw herself onto Ino.

"Arigatou gozaimashita, Ino!!!"

"Hehe, you're welcome. I'll be over tomorrow with my mother and your mother to pick up Yuki before the wedding. Just make sure he's ready in his cute kimono!"

"Will do! See you then!" waved Sakura as she walked out of the shop with Yuki.

Looking up towards the sky, she could see that dusk was approaching quickly on this spring afternoon.

"Come on, Yuki. We have to go make dinner before daddy gets home."

* * *

By the time Sakura was walking up the dirt road to her new house on the edge of town, she had a grocery bag in each hand with Yuki firmly strapped to her chest. The forest that surrounded her beautiful home next to a stream was quiet and still as she walked up the steps of her home and pulled back the shouji doors. Going inside, she looked around for a second at the mess of baby play stations, rattles, and blankets strewn across the floor. Smiling, she proceeded to make dinner.

"Yuki, I hope daddy likes what I made, because it better not affect his stomach at the ceremony tomorrow."

As the fish steamed in the pot, so did the rice as Sakura busied herself with the vegetables. Turning every now and again to look at Yuki lying on the blanket, she smiled as his hair was pitch-black like his father's, but his eyes were turning greener by the day. The tiny spurts that he was making every once in a while caught her attention, and instinctively she would peek over to see if he was alright. Yuki's tiny feet kicked at the air from the extra space that he felt around him, and he waved his hands energetically from having had a long nap before this. Sakura could see that he was happy just to be a little baby in that moment.

A soft thud was heard out on the veranda, and Sakura instantly put down her knife to open the front doors.

"Itachi!" she shouted when she saw the blood stains on his vest and mask. "Are you alright!?!"

"I'm fine... though the other guy isn't."

Itachi moaned as he reached down and took off his boots. In the next instance, he pulled back his mask and planted a huge kiss on his soon-to-be wife.

"I love you," he whispered with a smile.

"I love you too, but are you going to be alright for the ceremony tomorrow!?!"

"I'll be fine.... Where's my little one?" asked Itachi as he peeked over her to see Yuki playing on the floor. "Has he eaten?"

"He's alright for now. Go wash up. Dinner is almost ready."

"Hai, hai...."

Sakura smiled as she heard Itachi dipping himself into the bath. The moaning he made however told her that he didn't escape unscathed. Opening the cupboard, she pulled out some ointment and bandages and placed them on the table over by Yuki. When she finally placed all the dishes on the table, Itachi was coming out from the hallway in a loose kimono.

"Itadakimasu...." he said as he put his hands together with his chopsticks.

Sakura multitask-ed from across the table by feeding both Yuki and herself at the same time. When she felt that Itachi had eaten enough to calm his hunger, she then went on to asking for details.

"So.... How did it go?"

Itachi paused for a moment with his chopsticks in his mouth but continued to chew once he had grasped the question. After swallowing his mouthful, he took several moments to catch his breath before beginning his explanation.

"Akatsuki is beginning to make its move on the upper Jinchuuriki. Kisame has informed me that Pein has taken the bait on our story, but the easy acceptance of it didn't forbode well. Even if they did know what really happened, I don't think it'd matter considering that they know that I should have been blind by now. I'm just glad Tsunade-sama took a look at them when she did, otherwise I just might be."

"Has it gotten worse?"

"No. I haven't used the Mangekyou Sharingan since I got here, so it hasn't progressed. It even seems to have gotten better now with treatment."

"Well, whatever it is you're doing, keep it up. I don't think I can take Akatsuki on by myself if they come looking for Yuki...."

Sakura was looking down at Yuki to see if he had eaten his fill. When she looked back up, she found that Itachi had stopped eating and was looking at her in sadness.

"Don't be sad, sweetheart. We'll be fine," she reassured. "You may think that you have to protect us all by your lonesome, but you forget that I'm training for that day alongside Sasuke and Naruto. By then I also expect our boy to be a little genius."

Itachi smiled, but the fear and dread of such a day continued to pull at his heart. Still, he knew he was lucky to be marrying such a powerful and skillful kunoichi. He really did pick the best one.

When all the dishes were finally put away and Yuki put down to sleep, Sakura yawned and stretched before going off to take a shower herself. The stress on her feet and back were intense by the time the hot water washed over her. Taking a deep breath, she soaked for a few minutes before finishing up her hair.

Sakura stepped out of the bath and wiped herself down. Reaching over to the stand, she pulled off her kimono and slipped it over her naked skin. It took a while for her to warm up, but she increased her body heat when she tried to dry her hair. The image of herself in the mirror was fogged but beautiful. Even after having a child, Sakura had regained her old shape quicker than she had expected, and as she examined herself in the mirror she smiled at the thought of being able to take on missions again.

Sakura slid open the door to the bath and began to walk down the hallway to her room. Just as she approached it, she felt an entity pressing down upon her suddenly. Whipping around, she had no sooner made to strike when her wrists were pinned above her head against the wall, and was lifted slightly into the air with a knee between her legs.

Blinking, Sakura instantly recognized the sound of the cloak as it whipped from the sudden stop and caught the tint of the red clouds as it flashed before her eyes. When the fiercesome eyes made contact with hers, Sakura flexed her body and tightened her eyes in retaliation.

"What do you want?" she whispered.

"You know what I want...."

"You're not getting it...."

"Oh? Why not?"

"..... because ....."

"Because what?"

"Because doing so would mean I take your life."

"Do you think you can do that?"

Itachi moved his hands so that he could hold both with one as the other slowly moved down to trace the rim of Sakura's kimono. Keeping eye contact with her, he creeped his fingers towards her breasts until her breathing became more and more desperate. Sakura could feel the rough texture of the bandages that wrapped Itachi's hand as he did so, and it drove her wild with desire. Fearing that he was getting the upper hand, she glared at him so that he stopped.

"And what do you think you're doing?" asked Sakura.

"Reminding you of old memories...." Itachi whispered as he brushed the curve of her breast.

Bringing his hand back up, Itachi caressed Sakura's neck, her dampened locks tickling his knuckles as he came in to whisper in her ear.

"Do you like this?" he whispered as he kissed her softly on the neck.

"Maybe..." she panted back.

"Do you surrender?"

"Never...."

Itachi let go of her wrists and brought both hands down to massage her breasts as he stuck his tongue into her mouth for a passionate kiss.

"Do you surrender?" he breathed into her, his hot breath warming her down to her loins.

Sakura moaned and bit her lip.

"Maybe...."

Itachi smirked evily as he slowly lowered her down and put both hands on the wall beside her head, caging her within his arms.

"Surrender...." he commanded.

Sakura's green eyes moved up to look him slyly in his own. Suddenly she ripped back the jacket from his chest and pulled it down until she had locked his arms to his sides before swinging him around to pin him to where she had been.

"Is it I who should surrender when clearly I have the upper hand with my charm?" asked Sakura.

Itachi smirked.

Before Sakura could give him her own slice of heaven, she suddenly found herself swept off the floor and being carried to their bedroom. As soon as she saw the bed she knew it was over. In the next moment Sakura was tossed effortlessly upon the mattress before discovering that Itachi was already hovering over her.

Sakura pulled back the coat and placed her hands upon Itachi's bare chest beneath it. As she rubbed them from the perks of his chest down the ridges of his abs, Itachi could not hold back any longer as he whipped off his coat and threw it aside. Grabbing Sakura's kimono roughly by the seams, he pulled them apart so that she lay naked before him.

"I'm cold...." Sakura spoke as she watched Itachi pause to take in the sight of her.

"You won't be in about one second....."

Itachi pressed his naked body against Sakura's as he grabbed at her with his hands and kissed any part he could get to. When he felt her legs wrap around his waist, the heat inside of him intensified as pelvis touched pelvis, and he proceeded to feel his way down to grab her waist.

As Sakura scratched at his back and moaned in pleasure, she could feel his body rise and fall with hers like a never-ending tide.

"We're supposed to be getting married tomorrow!" she breathed heavily.

"I know.... and I don't care...."

The next deep thrust from Itachi came and all thoughts of being good before the wedding were gone. Even as Sakura bit his ear softly in appeasement, the only thing she knew in that moment was that she just did not want it to stop.


	35. Chapter 35

It was in the early evening of the next day that Sasuke could be seen walking in a handsome kimono up the dirt road. The sakura trees were lit with bright lights that turned night into day as he strolled along. In the distance he could hear the sounds of the festival in full swing and smelt the cooking fires of the yakitori stands. Although he wasn't much for being around people, the tempting memory of such juicy meat upon his lips made his mouth water in envy. It was enough to make him wish he was there.

Sasuke kicked a tiny pebble as he continued upon the dirt road away from the festivities. Turning his head to the side, he could tell that a familiar someone was about to catch up with him.

"Oi!!! Sasuke!!!" called Naruto from behind. "Matte!!!"

Sasuke stopped and turned to see Naruto running up the road to him in what looked like a borrowed kimono. The sleeves were too big and the waist area slightly bulged as he held up the hem so that he wouldn't trip. As Naruto smiled in full happiness and waved to his newly reclaimed friend, Sasuke could not help but give a tiny smile.

"Are you ready?" asked Naruto as he caught his breath.

"Ready for what?"

"Giving Sakura away, of course! I know Itachi's your brother, but Sakura's like our sister! She's saved our asses how many times! We can't let just anyone walk away with her!"

Sasuke paused for a moment to take in what Naruto had just said. It was true that Itachi was his brother and that there was no better shinobi to protect her and their child, but Sakura was with Naruto and him through thick and thin on their missions. Indeed, deserving her would require the approval of their convened counsel in that very moment.

"Well, what do you think?" asked Sasuke.

Naruto stopped panting and stood up straight.

"Although I don't like how it happened," Naruto whispered. "I do not think that there is a better person on this earth who can love and protect Sakura and Yuki the way Itachi could. He's proven his worth."

Sasuke smiled. "My thoughts exactly."

Naruto and Sasuke turned silently up the road and began to walk side by side. As they stared at the sakura that fluttered in the breeze, the sweet serenity of being in Konoha at this time of year was something to be truly cherished. The branches that swayed to and fro sent the sakura petals down in light pink storms, and the feel of it beneath their feet made soft fluffs as they marched on.

"How is Yuki doing? I haven't seen him in a while," said Sasuke as he continued to stare at the branches above.

"He's fat," answered Naruto as he spread his arms out to imitate the chubbiness of the little baby. "He's eats more than I do, I think, and his arms look like dango on a stick!"

Sasuke smiled at the thought of a dango-baby. He had been on so many missions since their return that he had only seen Yuki once since he had escorted him to Konoha.

"His eyes are green," said Naruto, stopping. "I don't know if you know that, but they are."

Naruto watched as Sasuke stopped a few feet ahead of him. Though Naruto knew that they both had feelings for Sakura, he felt that whatever surprise was in store of Sasuke, he'd rather bring it out now so that any hurt feelings would not show on his face while they were in front of her. After all, today was supposed to be every woman's most joyous day, especially for Sakura.

After a brief moment with his back to Naruto, Sasuke once again began to walk ahead. When Naruto felt it was okay, he proceeded to catch up to him so that they were once again side by side.

"Ah! There's the marker!" smiled Naruto when he spotted a plastic sakura that was placed at the bottom of a tree trunk. Running up to it, he turned off the road and into the forest as he looked around for the next marker.

Sasuke followed behind Naruto who excitedly ran about looking for marker after marker. When they had gotten at least a half mile into the forest, Naruto paused when he heard the familiar sounds of friendly voices.

"Hah! There they are!" shouted Naruto to Sasuke as he took off towards the sounds of merriment. Through the trees, they could make out different colored kimonos as they walked about.

Everyone from their year including Gai's team had shown up, and Ojiisan, Takeru, and Yuki travelled far to be there. Though Itachi's presence in Konoha was a secret, it was hard to hide something like this from the people you've known all your lives. It was just too bad that Kisame and Deidara couldn't make it due to Akatsuki's watchful eyes.

"Naruto!" waved Tsunade as she held Yuki in her arms. "You just made it in time! I was about to send ANBU to collect you!"

"Ahahaha! Gomen! Gomen!" Naruto grinned as he came in for a closer look at Yuki. "Hello Yuki-chan! Did you miss your Uncle Naruto?"

Tsunade smiled as she watched Naruto squeeze his pinky into Yuki's tiny fist. Giving a little wiggle, Naruto brightened when he felt Yuki's strong little hand tighten around his finger.

"Hahaha! Easy, Yuki-chan! You're more like your mother than you know!" he laughed.

Sasuke walked up behind Naruto and came in to get a good look at his nephew. The sight of the sleepy baby was relaxing to anyone who looked upon him, and as Sasuke watched him yawn with his tiny mouth, he stopped breathing for a moment when Yuki opened his little eyes to reveal what Naruto had told him of.

Yuki's eyes were a sharp green just like his mother's. Though he looked very much like Itachi, the piercing green of his eyes were a surprise to anyone that saw them. If someone were to be looking for an Uchiha, they certainly wouldn't have guessed that it would be him. No one that Sasuke ever knew from his family had anything else other than brown eyes.

Sasuke looked up to Tsunade in alarm.

"Do you think he's inherited the Sharingan?" he asked.

"You know, I was wondering about that myself. If he's got his mother's green eyes, then I would not be surprised if he didn't have the Sharingan. Still, from what the history of the Uchiha clan tells me, the Sharingan is a dominating gene in both the males and females. Truly a unique characteristic."

Sasuke nodded to signal his understanding. Looking around, he could see that the small area that Sakura had chosen was the perfect spot for a tiny banquet with two rows of tables and pillows laid out for every guest. The dishes were perfectly aligned, and the beautiful array of sakura-shaped sushi platters sat waiting to have their lids removed for revelation of their beautiful arrangement. In contrast to the pink sakura trees above them sat vases of white lillies and angel's breath that dotted the table to soften the bright colors surrounding them. It was a low budget wedding, but it was absolutely perfect in its arrangement that no one could tell.

At the end of the setting was a tiny shrine that sat in the middle of the sakura forest. Walking towards it to take a closer look, Sasuke pondered at the wooden house that seemed to have stood there for so long. He had never seen it before as he had never walked this way, but he knew in his heart that he'd return to visit it as he could feel the good energy that emanated from its tiny housing.

"Excuse me, Uchiha-san, we are about to begin."

Turning around, Sasuke found that the priest had appeared. His purple robe and black hat was stunning as Sasuke noticed that a lot of effort went into keeping it clean. With a hand gesturing to the shrine, Sasuke nodded in thanks and stepped towards the right. As the crowd behind him fell silent, he turned to see that at the end of the tables stood Itachi in a formal black kimono with his hair pulled back into a ponytail. Unlike traditional Japanese weddings, he had chosen to forgo the black hat.

Sasuke looked on from the front and noticed that the relaxed posture Itachi always wore was replaced by one of humble pride. Though Sasuke knew that Itachi had never enjoyed being in the spotlight, his discomfort at the situation was hidden well. However, it wasn't until Itachi turned to his left that his face softened when Sakura came out from the trees.

A gasp fell over the crowd as Sakura's white kimono appeared in the midst of the pink and gray hues surrounding her. Her hair was pulled into an elegant bun and tucked under the traditional bridal hat that most women wore for their wedding. As her green eyes stood out like emeralds in the sea of white, nobody else but Sakura could see that Itachi was staring into her eyes with a look that said nothing else existed in that moment except her. Bashfully smiling, Sakura made a tiny noise in response.

The whispers slowly hushed as Itachi put out an arm for Sakura to hold. As her tiny hand looped under his, the gentleness of her touch made Itachi's heart jump in nervousness as he escorted her down the center of the tables towards the shrine. The eyes that Sakura felt upon her was unlike anything she had experienced before. Peeking sideways at the audience, everyone seemed a blur in her nervous vision, but her eyes locked onto Naruto's blue ones as he stared at her with pride.

Smiling to Naruto as she passed, Sakura watched him nod in full approval as he looked on with a smile. She could tell that he wasn't breathing as she suddenly felt his invisible arms unravel themselves from around her to set her free. Sakura's mouth opened slightly as she too stopped breathing in realization of the moment. Tearing as she said her silent goodbye, he had finally let go.

_I love you, Naruto._

Once Sakura had regained her composure, she looked towards the front to find Sasuke's strong physique waiting for them. As they stepped closer to the smiling priest, she watched Sasuke's face in a manner that told him that she longed for his approval. However, desperation set in Sakura's heart as the shrine became closer and Sasuke's expression remained unchanged. Though he knew what it was that she wanted, his nonchalant ways got the best of him even in this obviously important moment when she needed something else from him.

As Sakura and Itachi stopped before the priest, her eyes were down and to the right as he began to speak words that her conciousness wouldn't allow her to hear. No one else noticed this except for Sakura herself.

"Stop...." she whispered.

The priest looked at her in bewilderment. Keeping her eyes towards the ground, she felt Itachi reach down and take both of her hands in his.

"You don't have to marry me, Sakura," he said. "If this is not what you want, I completely under..."

"...It's not that. There's something I need to settle before I do this. I just need a moment."

Squeezing Itachi's hands in reassurance, Sakura looked over to Naruto and nodded for him to follow her.

"Hmm?" Naruto shook his head in confusion. When he saw her let go of Itachi's hands, pick up her trail, and walk over to grab Sasuke's wrist to drag him into the trees behind the shrine, Naruto hastily moved through the confusion to follow.

"Don't panic everyone!" he announced as he rushed past the stunned crowd. "Everything's fine!"

Naruto tried not to look at Itachi as he sped past him and the priest. Making his way around the shrine, he chased after the white and navy blue figures ahead of him.

"Matte!" he whisper-shouted to them as they kept walking a straight line ahead. "Matte!!!"

Sakura kept walking until she was sure no one back at the shrine could hear them. Stopping dead in her tracks, she turned around to face Sasuke and waited for Naruto to catch up. When he had finally tripped towards them gasping, she looked Sasuke dead in the eye and began to speak in a solid voice.

"I am not going to marry Itachi without both of your blessings. I don't care if it never comes, I won't do it if you don't."

"Sakura-chan! Of course we approve! Otherwise, we wouldn't have let you do it!" Naruto quipped.

"I want to hear it from him," Sakura demanded as she stared into Sasuke's eyes. "I want to know it's okay."

"Sasuke-teme! If you make Sakura cry on her wedding day, I'm going to beat the shit out of you!"

Sasuke ignored Naruto and kept looking Sakura in the eyes. Seeing that she was dead set on what she said, in all seriousness, he took a deep breath and did something he had never done before.

Picking up both of Sakura's hands, he lifted them to the level of his heart and spoke with complete honesty.

"I would be honored to have you as my sister-in-law. Itachi is a good man, and he would protect you with his dying breath. Both Naruto and I approve of him as your husband, and we would kill the man who contests your right to him. I'm.... I'm sorry I didn't make you feel as if you had my approval."

Sakura leaned forward and hugged Sasuke. She had finally gotten what she wanted out of him. When she felt his arms around her squeezing back, only then did she let go.

* * *

"Sakura wanted Sasuke to give the marriage his approval!" Sai announced with a scroll and brush in his hand. "Sasuke gave it!"

"Alright!" shouted Ino as she pumped a fist into the air. "Score!"

"Do you always bring parchment and ink to weddings?" asked Kakashi to Sai.

"This was my first one, so I wasn't sure what to bring."

"Shhh!" hushed Shizune. "Everyone! They're coming back!"

The crowd pushed themselves back into their places just before Team 7 appeared from behind the shrine. As Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke came back into view, their brows furrowed in suspicion as everyone was smiling at them. When Sakura separated from them to go back and take her place at Itachi's side, she looked at him in curiosity as he smiled with a hint of a smirk.

"Are we ready to proceed," the priest asked.

Sakura nodded.

"Ok, then let's begin."

The ceremony went smoothly as the trees swayed in the evening breeze. It seemed that there was something crystal in the air that was too precious to be broken, as barely a person fidgeted as they waited until the priest had given his final blessing. When it was all over, Itachi turned to his new bride with a beaming smile that he felt would never fade. Suddenly moving forward, he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her into the air, her jovial laugh echoing through the trees as her hat fell to the floor.

Letting her back down, he hugged her into his arms and whispered, "You're mine."

"I'm forever yours," she responded as her eyes teared.

When the two had finally parted, Sakura and Itachi found that outside of their tiny bubble lay a roar of applause and cheers from their friends and family. Bowing to them all in thanks, Sakura and Itachi went to take their seats at the head table as the sake began to poor.

"Oh! The sake is here!" Tsunade shouted aloud. "Sasuke! Come claim your nephew!"

As Tsunade turned and handed Yuki over to Sasuke she kept her eyes on the glistening bottles that were being passed around. Stunned by the sudden dumping of Yuki, Sasuke quickly readjusted his grip so that he wouldn't drop him before looking up to see everyone rushing to grab their spots.

"Sasuke! Over here!" shouted Naruto, two seats from Itachi's side. Sasuke could see that the pillow next to Itachi lay vacant for him.

Walking over to his seat, Sasuke gently sat down as Yuki fidgeted from the sudden lack of rocking. As he watched Yuki begin to stir, he held his breath as he waited for what he knew was coming.

The tiny eyes of Yuki peeked open as he was disturbed from his slumber. Bouncing him lightly, Sasuke tried to lull Yuki back to sleep, but it was then that something caught his eye.

"What the...." Sasuke whispered as he leaned in to get a closer look at the baby in his arms. Steadying his bouncing, he waited until Yuki had opened his eyes again.

Sasuke's face turned into an expression of surprise when he saw what he thought he saw. Tiny red eyes with two black swirls inside of them were peeking back at him. Grabbing at his brother's sleeve, Sasuke looked up at Itachi who smiled and gave a wink. Looking over to Sakura, she too was smiling at him. They had known for a while, but had never said anything.

"Shhh, it's a secret," whispered Itachi.

Sasuke chuckled in disbelief and looked back down to smile at the tiny Yuki in his arms. He could tell that this kid was special.

* * *

***** Well, that's the end! I thank you all for staying with the stories for so long. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please leave a review so that I know what you're thinking! I get good comments from many people, but I always wonder if the rest of you aren't saying anything because you don't like what I'm writing. Constructive criticism is always welcome to anyone who wishes to get better. So please, write a review!!! **

**If you are wondering, as I have had some questions before, I already started writing a Kakashi/Sakura love story that I will put out soon! I didn't expect this ItaSaku to become a trilogy, so I can't guarantee that the next story I put out won't be ridiculously long. Either way, I am happy that you stayed with me during this journey. I hope that I can give you more in the future. **

**ARIGATOU-GOZAIMASHITA!!!!! *bows* **

**~ Iloveneji44 ;)**

**p.s. - I love you! ^_^  
**


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